Nigeria begins count in presidential elections

Abuja: Nigeria began counting votes in presidential elections on Saturday, even as many people had yet to even cast their ballot because of delays in the opening of polling units and problems with staffing and technology.

The late start at some of the nearly 120,000 polling stations around the country forced an extension to voting past the 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) cut-off, just as others finished.

In some places, voting materials did not arrive until mid-afternoon, according to election monitors, raising the prospect of voting continuing after dark.

Official results are expected from early next week, with the winner gaining control of Africa´s most populous nation and leading oil producer for four years.

The incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari, was one of the first to vote, and emerged from the polling booth in his home town of Daura, in the northwest state of Katsina, saying he was confident of victory.

“I will congratulate myself,” he told reporters. “I´m going to be the winner.” His main challenger, Atiku Abubakar, 72, voted in Yola, in the northeastern state of Adamawa.

Shortly before polls opened, one soldier was killed and 20 others injured as Boko Haram fighters tried to infiltrate the northeastern city of Maiduguri but were repelled.

There were clashes elsewhere in Yobe and Borno states, including a rocket attack in the town of Gwoza.

More than 500 Chadian troops were deployed as part of the regional force fighting Boko Haram as reinforcements. An umbrella group of some 70 civil society organisations monitoring the vote said 16 people had been killed in election violence.

Nigeria´s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Saturday announced a one-week delay to the election, just hours before it was due to get under way.

That angered voters who had already travelled to their hometowns and villages to participate, and saw the main parties accuse each other of conspiring with the INEC to rig the result.

Neither produced evidence and the elections watchdog has worked round the clock to overcome difficulties in delivering materials, which it had blamed for the postponement.