Today, citizens of Nigeria will participate in the first phase of the 2023 general election by casting their votes to elect a new president as well as 468 federal lawmakers.

The second phase of the election, which will feature the governorship and state assembly poll, is scheduled to be held in two weeks’ time.

This year’s general election marks the seventh since the restoration of democracy in Nigeria. The country previously held general elections in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019.

Today’s election in Nigeria will see the participation of 18 registered parties, which is the highest number in the country’s contemporary political history. Each of these parties is fielding candidates for the various positions being contested.

They are Christopher Imumolen (Accord), Hamza Al-Mustapha (AA), Omoyele Sowore (AAC), Dumebi Kachikwu (ADC), Yabani Sani (ADP), Bola Tinubu (APC), Peter Umeadi (APGA), Princess Ojei (APM), and Charles Nnadi (APP).

Others are Sunday Adenuga (BP), Peter Obi (LP), Rabi’u Kwankwaso (NNPP), Felix Osakwe (NRM), Atiku Abubakar (PDP), Kola Abiola (PRP), Adebayo Adewole (SDP), Ado Ibrahim Abdulmalik (YPP) and Dan Nwanyanwu (ZLP).

Despite the large number of presidential candidates, political analysts and observers of Nigeria’s democratic process have categorized the election as a four-horse race. The leading candidates in this race are Mr. Tinubu, Mr. Atiku, Mr. Obi, and Mr. Kwankwaso. These four candidates have been identified as the frontrunners in the presidential election.

Regardless of who emerges as the winner of today’s election, the victor will be sworn in on May 29th to serve as the President of Nigeria for a four-year term. The newly elected President will succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, whose second term in office will come to an end on that same day.

In addition to the presidential election, over 4,000 candidates are vying for positions in the National Assembly. Specifically, 1,100 candidates are competing for 108 out of the 109 seats in the Senate, while 3,057 candidates are contesting for the 360 seats in the House of Representatives.

However, due to the recent murder of the Labour Party candidate, Oyibo Chukwu, the election in Enugu East Senatorial District has been postponed until March 11th.

Despite this unfortunate event, the elections for the remaining positions in the National Assembly are still scheduled to hold as planned.

The lawmakers who are elected in today’s election will be inaugurated in June as members of the 10th session of the bicameral federal legislature in Nigeria.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reported that a total of 93.5 million Nigerians registered to vote in the general election.

However, only slightly over 87 million voters, who have collected their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC), will be able to participate in the poll. These eligible voters are spread across Nigeria’s 36 states, 774 local government areas, and 8,809 wards, and will cast their ballots in 176,846 polling units.

For the 2023 general election in Nigeria, a total of 1.5 million individuals have been selected to serve as agents for the 18 political parties that are participating in the election.

Despite some apprehension caused by the ongoing naira crisis and security challenges in the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured the public that it is ready for the polls.

INEC recently conducted a mock accreditation exercise to test its preparedness for the election, and its chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, has emphasized the commission’s commitment to ensuring a free and fair process.

Yakubu also stated that INEC’s loyalty is to the country, and it will do everything in its power to uphold the integrity of the electoral process.

Aside the deploying of thousands of ad hoc staff, with the NYSC contributing about 200,000 for today’s election, the electoral management body is employing new technologies, including the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the Integrated Results and Verification System (IReV), which it believes are capable of preventing election rigging and ensuring the transparency and credibility of the polls.

To guarantee the safety of the voting process, Nigeria’s security agencies and military have assured the public that they are prepared to secure the polls. In total, close to a million personnel will be deployed in all the states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with the police accounting for over 310,973 of them.

Other security outfits also deploying their personnel include the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) with 102,000 personnel, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) with 21,783 personnel, the Nigeria Correctional Service with 11,336 personnel, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with 9,447 personnel, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with 9,447 personnel, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with 350 personnel, and the Nigeria Immigration Service with 21,640 personnel.

However, the political parties and their candidates have taken steps to ensure a violence-free process by signing pacts.

A total of 229 observer groups comprising 196 domestic and 33 international observers will also be deploying 146,913 observers for the election. Some of the foreign observers are drawn from the European Union, Commonwealth, African Union, ECOWAS, NDI and IRI. Similarly, media organisations and other relevant bodies have been accredited by the election management body to observe the election.