- Many young, first-time voters arrived early to vote.
- The elections are Africa’s largest democratic exercise.
- The final outcome will not be known until at least Tuesday.
Ballot counting is underway in Nigeria‘s tightest presidential race since military control ended in 1999.
Turnout appeared to be strong, with many young, first-time voters arriving early to vote.
Long lines at polling places, as well as scattered instances of ballot box snatching and armed man attacks, hampered Saturday’s voting.
Furthermore, certain parties have expressed concern about charges of irregularities, which could lead to a disputed outcome.
With 87 million people eligible to vote, the elections are Africa‘s largest democratic exercise.
Since the restoration of multi-party democracy 24 years ago, politics has been dominated by two parties: the ruling APC and the PDP.
This time, however, there is a significant challenge from a third-party candidate in the contest to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari – Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who is supported by many young people.
Tens of thousands of polling stations are counting votes, which will be compiled and transmitted to the electoral headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The final outcome will not be known until at least Tuesday.
At a press conference on Saturday, the electoral leader, Mahmood Yakubu, apologized for the voting delays, but he stressed that everybody in line by 14:30 local time (13:30 GMT) would be permitted to vote, despite the fact that polling booths were meant to close at that time.
Voters in Lagos’s largest metropolis erupted after election officers arrived at a polling booth in the Lekki area nearly four hours after votes had officially ended.
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