Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Election kicks off today at 8:30 AM. Live updates of results and situation reports can be accessed below.
Today Saturday, 25 February 2023, Nigerians would vote in the seventh Nigeria presidential election and National Assembly elections since the country’s return to democracy in 1999.
Nigerians are expected to vote from a list of eighteen (18) Presidential candidates and four thousand, two hundred and twenty-three (4,223) National Assembly candidates, who are contesting for four hundred and sixty-nine (469) federal legislative positions.
No fewer than eighteen (18) political parties are participating in the 2023 general elections, however, some would not be fielding candidates for the position of president. This is less than the 91 political parties that participated in the 2019 general elections.
According to the figures recently released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), there are currently 93,469,008 Registered Voters but 87,209,007 voters out of the 93,469,008 registered voters have collected their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and would be expected to vote in the 2023 general elections compared to 84,004,084 in the 2019 general elections.
The main contenders in terms of political parties are the All Progressives Congress, APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Labour Party, LP, and of course, the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the presidential candidate of the ruling APC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is flying the flag of the PDP, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi is the candidate of the LP, while Rabiu Kwankwaso is the NNPP standard bearer.
Other presidential candidates, according to INEC’s final list, include Imumolen Christopher – Accord Party (AP); Al-Mustapha Hamza – Action Alliance (AA); Sowore Omoyele – African Action Congress (AAC); Kachikwu Dumebi – African Democratic Congress (ADC); Sani Yabagi Yusuf – Action Democratic Party (ADP); Umeadi Peter Nnanna – All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Ojei Princess Chichi – Allied People’s Movement (APM); Nnamdi Charles Osita – Action Peoples Party (APP); Adenuga Sunday Oluwafemi – Boot Party (BP); Osakwe Felix Johnson – National Rescue Movement (NRM).
Others are Abiola Latifu Kolawole – Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); Adebayo Adewole Ebenezer – Social Democratic Party (SDP); Ado-Ibrahim Abdumalik – Young Progressives Party (YPP); and Nwanyanwu Daniel Daberechukwu – Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Quick Facts about Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Election
✓ 18 Political Parties
✓ 93,469,008 Registered Voters
✓ 1,491 Electoral Constituencies
✓ 774 Local Government Areas
✓ 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards
✓ 176,846 Polling Units
✓ 15,331 Contestants.
In areas such as Bwari Area Council, Dawaki, Utako Lugbe, Kubwa voters were up as early as 6:am waiting patiently for the arrival of INEC officials.
Nigeria decides 2023: Atiku votes in Adamawa
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar has cast his vote.
Atiku performed his civic right at about 9:11 am at his polling unit in Adamawa State.
While thumb-printing on his ballot paper, some people circled him to see his vote.
Atiku is one of the frontrunners to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29.
Others vying for the seat of the president include Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.
Nigeria Decides: Voting commences at Obi’s polling unit
Voting has commenced at the polling unit of the presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi.
Though the candidate had earlier visited the unit to supervise the arrival of voting materials, he is yet to cast his vote.
Some aides of the candidate told journalists that he will be voting soon.
Obi is expected to cast his vote in Amatutu village, Agulu ward two, polling unit 019.
Election officers protest non-payment of training allowance in Kano, delay exercise
Some election officers are protesting non-payment of their training allowances in Kano State.
According to reports, they blocked voters from accessing the polling units.
The INEC ad-hoc staff, in their numbers, said they were not paid their training allowances of N4000.
They vowed that they would not allow election materials to be taken away.
The incident, which occurred at Gwale Local Government of Kano State, delayed commencement of voting at the Dorayi Karama voting centres.
Nigerians will today, Saturday, February 25, 2023, decide their next President for the next four years.
The main contenders in terms of political parties are the All Progressives Congress, APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Labour Party, LP and of course, the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the presidential candidate of the ruling APC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is flying the flag of the PDP, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi is the candidate of the LP, while Rabiu Kwankwaso is the NNPP’s standard bearer.
In his nationwide broadcast, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is serving a complete eight-year term under the APC, admonished the citizens to go out there and vote for their very choice of candidate.
He also said that his administration’s new monetary policy had also contributed immensely to the minimisation of the influence of money in politics.
“This is a positive departure from the past and represents a bold legacy step by this administration, towards laying a strong foundation for free and fair elections,” he said, assuring that every vote will count.
Follow this thread as News Rain Nigeria brings you updates of the presidential election from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.