Vote counting started in Nigeria’s tightly contested election on Saturday, with three frontrunners vying to govern Africa’s most populous democracy after a ballot hit by delays and isolated violence.
Nearly 90 million people were eligible to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor, with many Nigerians hoping their new leader would tackle a widening security crisis, the sluggish economy and growing poverty.
For the first time since the end of military rule in 1999, a third serious candidate has emerged to challenge the dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The race sees former Lagos governor and APC candidate Bola Tinubu facing PDP’s Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, and surprise third party candidate, Labour’s Peter Obi.
Crowds gathered to watch counting in some polling centres, where officials were observed by party representatives. Tallies were counted by hand before they were sent on electronically.
“We have to stay and watch,” said Chinoso Ekpei, 27, a contractor, waiting with a crowd of dozens for the tally at their polling station in Ikoyi, Lagos. “We have to focus, we don’t know what they did last time.”
PDP’s candidate Abubakar claimed fraud when he was beaten by Buhari in the 2019 vote before the Supreme Court dismissed his lawsuit.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said vote counting started where the voting had ended but has not said when official results will be released.
Thugs disrupted polling at some voting stations, but the election was mostly peaceful in a country where attacks and ethnic tensions marred past votes.
But angry voters protested after INEC started late or problems with identification technology disrupted voting in several centres in Lagos, southern Port Harcourt and the northwest state of Kano.
“INEC didn’t arrive on time and they’re not organised. I want to vote. We are tired, we need change,” said Chikezae Okafor, 41, a health and safety officer in Port Harcourt.
Voting was scheduled to end at 1330 GMT though INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu said people in lines after could still cast their ballots.
In southeast Anambra State, officials counted votes at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, where crowds of voters danced and sang.
But desperation was clear in another nearby centre.
“It is not normal. I will wait all night, I came to vote and I will,” said student Blessing Mbanefo, 21, waiting to vote. “I’m ready to sleep here.”