Individuals read newspapers at a newspaper stand in Onitsha, Nigeria, on February 26, 2023 adhering to he Nigeria presidential and common election.
Patrick Meinhardt | Afp | Getty Photographs
Officials counted votes in Nigeria’s elections on Saturday, with people today hoping for a reset following many years of worsening violence and hardship underneath outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, undeterred by delays at some polling stations.
The electoral commission stated the official results could be anticipated from late on Sunday. By the night, some polling stations were being now counting ballots, while voting was still heading on at other folks and experienced not taken place elsewhere.
Some voting was now anticipated to acquire area on Sunday.
Whoever wins will encounter a litany of crises. Africa’s most populous country is struggling with Islamist insurgencies in the northeast, an epidemic of kidnappings for ransom, conflict amongst herders and farmers, shortages of funds, gas and electricity, as nicely as deep-rooted corruption and poverty.
Reuters reporters at areas throughout the state saw some polling stations closing at the prepared time of 2:30 p.m. (1330 GMT) though other people had however to open up.
“I will hold out listed here to solid my vote. If I will not vote how will factors improve?” claimed 23-yr-previous Halima Sherif, whose polling station in the northern city of Kano had not commenced functioning by closing time.
Some states ended up anticipated to announce final results on Sunday and the remaining tally from all 36 states furthermore the federal money Abuja was anticipated within just 5 times of voting. The election is also for Countrywide Assembly seats.
There ended up scattered violent incidents on Saturday, though not on the scale found in former elections in the nation of more than 200 million folks.
Buhari, a retired military common, is stepping down following serving the maximum 8 years authorized by the constitution but failing to produce on his pledge to bring back order and security throughout Nigeria, Africa’s top oil-creating place.
The contest to do well him is huge open up, with candidates from two events that have alternated in electric power because the end of army rule in 1999 struggling with an unusually solid obstacle from a minimal bash applicant preferred amid youthful voters.
Officials from the Impartial Countrywide Electoral Fee (INEC) cited technical challenges with a new biometric anti-fraud voter accreditation procedure, the late arrival of autos to transportation them and the absence of voter registers as triggers of delays.
“It is annoying that INEC are not geared up for us. All we want is just to vote,” said Sylvester Iwu, who was among a big crowd waiting around at a polling station in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa Condition in the southern oil-producing Niger Delta.
In a televised information briefing, INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu stated six biometric machines had been stolen in northern Katsina Point out and two in southern Delta Condition. He also acknowledged the delays but said voters would be ready to cast their ballots.
“The election will hold and no one particular will be disenfranchised,” he mentioned.
Yakubu stated at a afterwards briefing that voting would consider spot on Sunday in a number of wards in Yenagoa that had seasoned critical disruption on Saturday.
Scattered violence
In northeast Borno Condition, the epicenter of Islamist insurgency, suspected fighters from the Boko Haram group fired mortar shells in the rural Gwoza area, killing 1 little one, wounding four others and disrupting voting, military sources stated.
In Abuja, a team from the anti-corruption Economic and Economic Crimes Fee (EFCC) was attacked by thugs just soon after arresting a guy on suspicion of having to pay for a group of people’s votes using a banking app, the EFCC explained.
In Lagos, a Reuters Tv set crew noticed police arrest four guys on suspicion of intimidating voters, while an election observer from a nearby civil culture group claimed he experienced witnessed thugs armed with knives, chains and bottles smashing ballot bins.
In most spots, having said that, the working day appeared to have unfolded peacefully inspite of frustrations above the delays.
The most important contenders to be successful Buhari are previous Lagos governor Bola Tinubu, 70, of the ruling All Progressives Congress, previous vice president Atiku Abubakar, 76, of the major opposition Peoples Democratic Bash, and previous Anambra Condition governor Peter Obi, 61, of the lesser Labour Celebration.
All a few voted in their home states, surrounded by chaotic scrums of reporters and supporters.
“The electoral course of action cannot attain 100% perfection,” Tinubu advised reporters just after voting. “Men and women have to tolerate that. You’ve acquired to accept the results.”
Tinubu and Atiku, as he is recognized in Nigeria, are both of those political heavyweights with many years of networking guiding them. Both equally Muslims, Tinubu is an ethnic Yoruba from the southwest and Atiku is a Fulani from the northeast.
Obi, a Christian from the Igbo ethnic group, has fewer of a political device but has applied a slick social media marketing campaign to make huge enthusiasm amid young voters, with some even contacting them selves the “Obidients”.
INEC says its new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) that identifies voters working with biometric knowledge would aid avert fraud. Reuters reporters in some locations reported officers ended up battling to get the BVAS products to do the job, even though in others the process was working easily.
Inspite of INEC’s safeguards, analysts have warned there are continue to pitfalls that funds-strapped citizens could be vulnerable to vote-getting makes an attempt by candidates.
