Nigeria election 2023 +++ Live blog +++
February 25, 2023
Nigerians are voting in a general election on Saturday. Political analysts say the presidential race will be one of the most hotly contested ever. Election campaigning ended with an appeal for calm.
All times given are in GMT
These live updates are now closed. Keep up to date on Nigeria's 2023 election by clicking here
16:38: "There were isolated incidences that will not disrupt the whole election," DW correspondent Ben Shemang tells DW's Isaac Mugabi in a post-election analysis on Facebook Live. "Voting has ended, counting is going on. Those who could not vote will do it tomorrow," Mugabi tells DW Africa followers.
16:23: INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu tells a press conference in Abuja about delays due to the malfunction of technology used in the election and disruptions. Yakubu also states that voters who were in queues before polls close will be given the opportunity to vote regardless of how long it takes.
15:26: Police arrested four men on suspicion of intimidating voters in Lagos, Reuters says, adding that an observer reported seeing thugs armed with knives, chains and bottles smashing ballot boxes.
15:26: Reuters reports that INEC officials have cited technical problems with a new biometric anti-fraud voter accreditation system, the late arrival of vehicles to transport them and the absence of voter registers as causes of delays.
15:19: APC ruling party presidential candidate Bola Tinubu tells DW's Zaharaddeen Umar that he has "worked harder than any other candidate in this country" and is confident he will win the vote. "I am very confident. I've earned it. I worked hard for it. I've traversed the country — 36 states...city hall meetings, town hall meetings and various interest groups," Tinubu says.
15:12: Nigerian media are quoting Uhuru Kenyatta, the head of the African Union's election observer mission, as saying: “People usually turn up later. But the stations we have visited, we have seen a good number of people in the queues, and it looks like there is good enthusiasm for this election.”
14:50: Voters in parts of Nigeria are still casting their ballots after the 13:30 GMT nationwide close of polls.
14:03: Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says it has intercepted a woman with 18 voter cards in Kaduna state.
13:20: DW’s Muhammad Bello says voters in Port Harcourt are being attacked, intimidated and forced to vote for certain candidates.
12:35: Some voters are showing that they cast their ballots.
12:13: Women are turning up to vote in large numbers in northwestern Sokoto state, DW's Shehu Salmanu says.
11:44: One social media creator and supporter of presidential candidate Peter Obi is inviting followers to get ready with her to vote.
11:42: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Nigerian-born Director-General of the World Trade Organization, shares her impressions at the polls in southeastern Abia state, where she voted.
11:39: The federal chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sunday Zaka, and some of his aides were killed in a car accident in the early morning hours, Vanguard Newspapers reports.
11:36 : Outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari is now sparking controversy for displaying his ballot paper in Daura, northern Katsina state.
11:31: In Port Harcourt, in southern Rivers state, drivers are reluctant to transport election officials carrying materials despite assurances from security chiefs, DW's Muhammad Bello says
11:13: Online newspaper TheCable reports on a helper at a polling station in north-central Benue state.
11:06: "It's been frustrating. They had four years to prepare. But this is unacceptable. But we are here and we are going to vote," one man tells DW''s Olisa Chukwumah after casting his ballot in Lagos.
10:54: Former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife are voting in Otueke, south-south Bayelsa state.
10:34: Naija News reports on delays in Benin City in south-sout Edo state.
10.20: Several voters in Abuja are tweeting about an ink shortage.
10.04: International election observers are on the ground in Nigeria.
09:50: DW's Idris Uwaisu says voting is progressing peacefully in the main polling district in central Abuja where one polling station is now divided into three to reduce crowds.
08:59: Africa Independent Television tweets that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed a polling unit in Alausa.
08:30: INEC officials are yet to arrive at the polling unit of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, DW's Zaharaddeen Umar says.
08:28: "I am here to vote to see that true change comes - not the fake change," a voter told DW's Isaac Mugabi in Abuja.
08:24: Nigerian social media users are posting their election day pictures and comments.
8:09: In the northwestern Sokoto state, voters have turned up in large numbers amid tight security at polling stations, says DW's Shehu Salmanu. The movement of people is being restricted.
7:30: DW's Isaac Mugabi says a few polling stations are yet to open in the capital Abuja.
7:28: Polls are opening across Nigeria, where more than 93 million people are registered to vote.
7:14: Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission calls on voters to exercise their right to vote in a peaceful manner.
Isaac Mugabi, Ben Shemang, Muhammad Bello, Shehu Salmanu, Zaharaddeen Umar, Flourish Chukwurah, Olisa Chukwumah, Josephine Mahachi and Amaka Okoye contributed to this blog.
Edited by Silja Fröhlich and Benita van Eyssen