Nigerians have started voting on Saturday for Successor to President Muhammadu Buhari in Fight hard race with Three contestants are competing for the first time in Modern State historyand with Many hope next He will lead the leader of Africa’s most populous and largest country economy on a new Of course, years later of Exacerbation of violence and hardship.
Polling stations were scheduled to open at 8:30 am (0730 GMT), although Reuters reporters were in several stations. locations Across the country he saw some who weren’t ready. Journalists in the northern state of Kano, the southern state of Bayelsa and the federal capital, Abuja, saw queues of voters with There are no election officials in Vision.
Reporters in one location in Central Lagos, another place in the city of awka, in Southeastern Anambra State, and one in the Northeast city of Maiduguri saw the vote beginalbeit in the other Lagos locations There was a delay.
Bukhari, retired military generalstepping down after service maximum Eight years allowed by the constitution but failed to live up to on pledge to bring back Order and security across Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer.
the main candidates in The biggest open contest since the end of army rule in 1999 two political veterans from monday main Parties and a candidate from a minor party who Polls show that he has chance Thanks to support from young voters.
More than 93 million people registered in vote for the next President and members of National Assembly. About 176,600 polling stations were scheduled to open between 8:30 am and 2:30 pm (0730 GMT to 1330 GMT).
Will count votes begin like soon With polling approaching and results it will be posted outside Voting centers. the final The toll from 36 states and the federal capital Abuja is expected to arrive within five days of vote.
“I hope that whoever becomes president will ease the suffering of masses. we in said Omar Abdullah, a tea seller waiting vote in the city of Kano.
the run-up to vote It was marred by violence, a pattern that was seen in previous nigerian elections, with the killing of Senate candidate in The volatile southeast region on Wednesday latest in a series of Serious accidents.
Elections come like Nigerians struggling to match with loss of cash caused With a failed plan to swap the old one bank notes for new The ones that wreaked havoc on people’s daily life led to scenes of Bank violence and cash machines.
the new President will also You must grapple with problems They range from high inflation, extreme poverty and energy shortages to an Islamist insurgency in Oil on an industrial scale in the Northeast theft in South and rampant crime Everywhere.
For the elections, the land borders are closed, soldiers They were patrolling the streets in Many countries and movements are restricted in An attempt by the authorities to enhance security.
the main contenders in the race To succeed Buhari they are former Lagos Governor Paula Tinubu, 70 of All Progressives Governing Congress, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 76, of the main The opposition People’s Democratic Party, and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, 61 of Smaller Labor Party.
Tinubu and Atiku, as he is known in Nigeria, both are heavyweights on the political front with contracts of networks behind them and bulge campaign Safes. Both are Muslims, Tinubu of Yoruba ethnicity from the southwest and Atiku of Fulani from the northeast.
Obi, an Igbo Christian groupthe least of Politician machine behind him but he used a spot social media campaign To generate great enthusiasm among young voters with Some even call themselves “The Watchers”.
Nigeria has a long history of electoral fraud and violence, although its elections are gradually becoming cleaner in recent courses.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says foot new technology and actions for ensure These elections are free and fair, as is the Bi-Mode Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) that will identify the electors using Biometric data.
INEC says mobile Phones are not allowed in Voting booths because in the past people I used to take it photos of their timed ballot papers to show for candidates who I offered to pay for they votes.
The elections will be free and fair. We didn’t have that before. They did computerThey have fingerprints, they have photos. “You can’t cheat now,” said Muhammad Aisha, a grocery store. shop Malik is waiting vote in Lagos.
Despite these precautions, analysts warned there were still risks of scarcity of cashwhich can make hardPersecuted citizens at risk vote- Buying candidates and shortages of fuel that can make it hard for INEC to publish staff and equipment for all areas.
