The day 87.2 million Nigerian voters have been anticipating is finally here.
That number of people would be determining who becomes the president of Africa’s largest economy.
They would also be voting to elect 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives, all of whom make up the National Assembly.
Canopies were being set up at different polling units nationwide as of 8 am for the vote which starts at 8:30 am.
Nigeria Info reports that election materials arrived early in some polling units in Amuwo Odofin in Lagos as well as at Polling Unit 008 at GSS Wuse Zone IV in Abuja.
Dozens of voters also showed up before 8 am at the different units Nigeria Info is monitoring across the country.
There are 18 presidential candidates but three are considered the frontrunners in an election some analysts have projected could go into a runoff.
The ruling All Progressives Congress’ candidate, Bola Tinubu, is a veteran of Nigerian politics, having won his first election as a senator in 1992. He was a two-time governor of Lagos and has a strong chance of winning the vote.
Abubakar Atiku of the People’s Democratic Party was Nigeria’s vice president from 1999 to 2007 and has run as a party candidate for president in every other election since, except in 2015.
Peter Obi, a wealthy businessman, was a two-time governor of Anambra State but is considered new to national politics.
He joined the Labour Party from the People’s Democratic Party in May 2022 and has galvanized a massive youth movement that is pushing for a change from the status quo in Abuja politics.
He has led Tinubu and Atiku in most pre-election polls, although some of the polls predict a win for Tinubu if voters don’t turn out en masse.
