Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has cast his vote at polling unit 19 in the Agulu area of the Aniocha Local Government Area of Anambra State in Nigeria’s South-East geopolitical zone.
Obi and his wife Margaret cast their vote around 11:45am on Saturday after following the voting queue for about 30 minutes.
Addressing reporters after he voted, Obi said the process was “seamless”.
The LP flag bearer is one of the leading candidates in the race for Aso Rock. The former Anambra Governor’s major contenders include Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
Already, Tinubu and Atiku have voted in Lagos and Adamawa respectively.
Accreditation and voting have commenced in many polling units across Nigeria as the 87.2 million voters with Permanent Voter Cards go to the polls to elect a new president and members of the country’s National Assembly.
Also, The Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso has cast his vote at a polling unit in the Kwankwaso town of the Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State.
Addressing reporters after voting, Kwankwaso said accreditation and voting did not start in the polling unit till 11 am as against 08:30am. He, therefore, appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission to be a “little bit patient” for his supporters to vote.
The NNPP candidate is one of the leading candidates in the race for Aso Rock.
Kwankwaso, 66, is a former Governor of Kano State, and an ex-Minister of Defence. He commands a “cut-like following” in North-West Nigeria with his socio-political movement, Kwankwasiyya movement with strong presence in Kano and other states.
Pre-election polls positioned Kwankwaso as one of the top four contenders in Nigeria’s 2023 presidential poll. The ex-governor, known for his red cap, is running alongside a southerner, Isaac Idahosa.
No Election Officials In Lekki
With two hours to go until voting is supposed to end, some people in Lekki, a residential suburb in Lagos, said election officials still had not turned up and they were not able to vote.
It is not clear where the electoral officials are, but one lady told reporters that many people had been there since 07:00 GMT (08:00 local time).
People have been chanting “we must vote!” as they wait.
Omosalewa Fajobi told reporters that people at her polling unit saw electoral officials drive by looking for other vote stations, and that a supervisor had apologised, saying they would soon arrive.
Also, People who have been forced to flee their homes because of jihadist violence told reporters that they are keen to vote.
They are staying at a camp for displaced people in the north-eastern state of Adamawa.
Ibrahim Bura who has been living in the camp in Malkohi for nine years said that Nigeria needs a change that would eradicate Boko Haram Islamist militants and allow displaced communities to go home.
Nigeria is currently facing a security crisis. The Islamist insurgency in the north-east started more than a decade ago.
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