Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with a population of 225 million people, is due to go to the polls today to elect a new President and Parliament.
Nigeria’s current President, Muhammadu Buhari, is ineligible to run, having served two full terms as leader already.
His All Progressives Congress (APC) has nominated Bola Tinubu, a former governor of the state of Lagos, as its candidate. His main opposition will come from Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who has been leading Tinubu in some polls.
The only other candidate who is seen as having a real chance of winning is Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, which governed Nigeria between 1999 and 2011.
Issues around security have been a key focus of the campaign, with violent jihadis in the north and separatists in the south both threatening the security of Nigeria and its citizens.
Economic issues have also been front-and-centre, with poverty and unemployment remaining high, despite Nigeria’s oil wealth. Inflation is running at over 20%.
There are also concerns over violence, with a number of offices belonging to the Nigerian electoral authority having been attacked. Observers have said that of Nigeria’s 36 states, at least 15 face a serious threat of election-related violence.