Nigeria: Voting gets underway in crucial election
Voting started on Saturday in Nigeria as citizens cast their ballot to elect a new president who would replace President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari is leaving office this year and many are hoping the next leader will provide better solutions for Africa’s most populous nation and biggest economy.
The main contenders in the race to succeed Buhari are former Lagos governor Bola Tinubu, 70, of the ruling All Progressives Congress, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, 76, of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, 61, of the smaller Labour Party.
Polling stations were scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), but there were several delays across the country.
More than 93 million people registered to vote for a new president and members of the National Assembly.
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Voting is taking place at 176,600 polling stations across the country and would end at 2:30 p.m local time (13:30 GMT). The electoral commission is deploying technology in this year’s elections.
A Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) which is to be deployed would provide fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation.
The electoral commission – INEC said the new system is to ensure that only genuine voters cast their ballots.
Before Saturday’s poll, a senatorial candidate in the volatile southeast region was killed on Wednesday.
The election also comes amid shortage of cash crisis caused by the policy to swap old bank notes for new ones.
Source: Africafeeds.com
