By Ade Martins And Lucy Caulkett-
ABUJA- Millions of Nigerians have began voting as queues have formed at polling stations in Nigeria in the most competitive presidential election since military rule ended.
Voting scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) in Nigeria’s presidential and parliamentary election began late in many parts of the country, but eventually Nigerians poured out in many pol stations.
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Since 1999, Africa’s most populous country dominated by two parties – the ruling APC and the PDP has suddenly been met with a fresh challenge from a third-party candidate – the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, whose support base is wide and deep.
A candidate needs to have the most votes and 25% of ballots cast in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states to be declared the winner
However, some analysts have questioned not only what percentage of the crowded population have voters card, and how right the scope for rigging will be this time.
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Former Lagos governor Bola Tinubu is highly respected in many quarters and credited for transforming many parts of Lagos during his tenure as governor. He is considered the godfather of the city, but has also been accused of being to dictatorial, not permitting any action in the state without his prior consultation. Many people see that as a strength, rather than a point of criticism, but his critics point to allegations of corruption that question his integrity.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is standing for the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is also considered a powerful politician but has been accused of drug related allegations, and is equally accused of corruption. There have been several rumours that his backers have a tight plan to rig the elections in his favour.
There are a total of 18 presidential candidates. Parliamentary elections are also taking place.
Voting machines malfunctioned in some areas, with voters told to return later.
There have been also been reports of violence and the snatching of ballot boxes in Lagos, a stronghold of the APC.
The lead-up to the polls has been overshadowed by a cash shortage caused by a botched attempt to redesign the currency, leading to widespread chaos at banks and cash machines as desperate people sought access to their money.
The new notes were introduced in order to tackle inflation, and also vote-buying. On the eve of the election a member of the House of Representatives was arrested with almost $500,000 (£419,000) in cash, and a list of people he was supposed to give it to, police say.
The country is in a state with several politicians contesting for political positions killed over the last few months for political motives .
The vote for senator in the south-eastern Enugu East constituency was postponed after an opposition candidate was killed on Wednesday by suspected gunmen from the separatist group, Ipob.
A third of the 87 million eligible voters are below 35 – which may lead to a high voter turn-out than the 35% recorded in 2019.
Mr Obi, 61, poses a real threat to Nigeria’s two-party system after joining the Labour Party last May after he was denied the party ticket in favour of Atiku, who currently is the representative of the PDP party.
However, the PDP party has been deeply divided after the outspoken Rivers State governor, Nyesome Wike, openly went against his party, alleging astronomical levels of bribery in the process that saw Atiku pick up the ticket.
Although he was in the PDP before then, he is seen as a relatively fresh face and enjoys fervent support among some sections of Nigeria’s youth, especially in the south.
Peter Obi is widely considered the most honourable man for the post, with large following known as the “OBIdients”. His critics say he lacks structure, arguing that his supporters are confined to social media hype who will be unable to translate the hype to winning votes on election day.
He has run for the presidency five times before – all of which he has lost. He has been dogged by accusations of corruption and cronyism, which he denies
The Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) has promised free and fair elections, but some critics say INEC itself is not immune from corruption.
It is the first time Inec will conduct national elections using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), a facial and fingerprints technology that is thought to improve transparency by making it harder for politicians to rig the process.
Final results are expected tomorrow, Sunday, due to BVAS, which also uploads vote results directly to the Inec website direct from polling stations.
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