The long-awaited 2023 presidential and national assembly elections are finally here. Here’s what we’ve noticed so far:

Polling units opened late

Zikoko Citizen gathered updates across polling units in Lagos, Calabar and Anambra states indicating that voter accreditation started hours later after the appointed time of 8 a.m. Some, up till now (11 a.m. WAT), have yet to see signs of INEC officials at their polling stations.

No sign of any inec official at my polling unit, Ekwulobia Aguata LGA Anambra State.

The funny thing is inec will commence their distribution of material from here.

So if the town that headquartered inec hasn't seen any of her officials, how much the other towns. pic.twitter.com/xiR277zQnK

— Obiora chukwuma (@ObioraChukwuma) February 25, 2023

EFCC spotted at Tinubu’s polling unit

The Citizen team is also out, and we spotted some officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). What could they be up to? We’ll send in more updates here.

Tinubu arrives at the polling unit in Ikeja 

Tinubu entering Ikeja polling unit [Ope Adetayo/Aljazeera]                 

Supporters of the BAT jubilantly greeted the All-Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as he arrived at his polling unit to vote amidst a stream of bodyguards.

Voting has been temporarily suspended in Ibadan

Voting has been temporarily suspended at Oyelakin Balogun community primary school, Sanyo Ibadan. The local government is Ibadan South East. Polling Units are 36, 37 and 38.

According to INEC’s rules, there should be three polling officials per unit, but only two are currently present. An electoral observer is filling for INEC; accreditation will be completed before voting starts.

Voters have also complained that the BVAS machine is malfunctioning.

Security officials detain loiterers

Nigerians not participating in the voting process were picked up by security agents and detained for loitering.

President Buhari casts vote for successor

Today would be the last day that Buhari would vote as president of Nigeria — and the first time that he’d be absent from the ballot papers in 20 years.

Against the Electoral Act’s mandated secret ballot, he revealed his ballot paper to show he voted for APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu in his hometown of Daura, Katsina.

Peter Obi votes in Anambra 

Peter Obi votes in Anambra [Channels Television]

The presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has cast his vote in his hometown of Agulu in Anambra State.

According to the Stears predictive poll, Obi can only win if he has a high voter turnout in the polls. Read more here.