Counting underway but it could be days before official election result is announced in Nigeria

It’s being labelled the tightest presidential election in Africa’s most populous nation for the reason that finish of the army rule in 1999.

Vote counting is underneath means in Nigeria and turnout seemed to be excessive. It may take days till the ultimate, official result’s introduced.

Marred by lengthy delays at polling stations, in addition to scattered stories of poll field snatching and assaults by armed males, some pissed off Nigerians solid their ballots with flashlights whereas others stood watch at their polling stations as counting bought underneath means late Saturday amid fears of vote tampering.

Election officers blamed the delays on logistical points, although different observers pointed to the upheaval created by a redesigned foreign money that has left many unable to acquire financial institution notes. The money scarcity affected transport not just for voters but additionally election employees and law enforcement officials offering safety.

Voting ended nicely past schedule in lots of locations after delays however some had been nonetheless voting in just a few areas the place the train stretched into the evening. Within the northwest Bauchi state, Lagos-based Channels TV reported that voters had been nonetheless voting utilizing their torchlights at round 9 pm.

And in Abuja and Delta state, voters caught round to watch the method and make sure the outcomes weren’t tampered with.

“Dusk has come — something can occur (now),” Torke Ezekiel stated after casting his poll.

Whereas there have been fears of violence on Election Day, from Islamic militants within the north to separatists within the south voting was largely peaceable Saturday although a dramatic scene unfolded within the megacity of Lagos within the mid-afternoon.

Mahmood Yakubu, head of Nigeria’s election fee, stated nationwide collation of leads to the presidential election would begin at midday on Sunday. In 2019, the winner of the presidential election was introduced 4 days after the voting day.

“We’re making very regular progress and we are going to proceed to make sure that nothing truncates our democracy or truncates the desire of the Nigerian individuals,” stated Yakubu, the election chief.

Nonetheless, Mucahid Durmaz, senior analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a world threat intelligence firm, stated voting “has been very difficult for Nigerians.”

There have been “widespread complaints about late-arriving officers, nonfunctioning machines, low presence of safety and assaults on polling stations,” he added.

Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari is stepping down after two four-year phrases in Nigeria, a West African nation the place unemployment has soared to 33% at the same time as one of many continent’s prime oil producers.

Out of the sector of 18 presidential candidates, three front-runners emerged in current weeks: the candidate from Buhari’s ruling occasion, the principle opposition occasion candidate and a third-party challenger who has drawn sturdy assist from youthful voters.

But it surely remained unclear what number of voters had been deterred due to the money disaster, which has left Nigerians with funds of their financial institution accounts unable to acquire the money they want for issues like gasoline and taxis.