87.2 million Nigerians have the opportunity to fill 470 federal seats today.
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11:20 am: Kano State Governor Ganduje casts vote
The Governor of Kano State Abdullahi Ganduje has casted his vote in his polling unit in Magwan, Nassarawa Local Government of Kano State. He belongs to the All Progressive Congress and he's in his second term as the governor.
11:05 am: Voting continues across the country
Voting has continued across Nigeria where the electorate will be electing new president and their representatives at the National Assembly. Voters across the country have shared images of the voting process in their various polling units and the process has been peaceful so far.
10:45: Tinubu address media after casting his vote
The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has addressed the press after he casted his vote in PO 085 Ward 3, Sunday Adigun, Alausa, Ikeja. Tinubu described the process as smooth while expressing optimism on a high voter turnout.
10:34 am: Vice President Osibanjo and wife cast votes in Ogun State
Nigeria's Vice President Prof. Yemi Osibanjo and his wife have casted their votes in Polling Unit 14 in Ikenne, Ogun States. The Vice President belongs to the All Progressives Congress whose presidential candidate is Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
10:30 am: EFCC Officials arrive Bola Ahmed Tinubu's polling unit
The men of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission have been spotted at Po 085, Ward 3, Sunday Adigun, Alausa, Ikeja which is the polling unit of APC's presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is in line with their task of curbing vote buying in the 2023 elections.
10:07 am: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrives polling unit to cast his vote
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived at his polling unit in 085, Ward 3, Sunday Adigun, Alausa, Ikeja where he will be casting his votes.
Tinubu is among the 18 candidates vying for the office of the president in the 2023 elections.
10:03 am: President Muhammadu Buhari votes in Kastina State
President Muhammadu Buhari has voted in his polling unit PU 003 at Sarkin Yara ward A, in Daura, Katsina. President Buhari has spent 8 years in power and he will be handing over to a new government on May 29, 2023.
10:00 am: Folasade Tinubu-Ojo daughter of APC presidential candidate arrives polling unit
Folasade Tinubu-Ojo the Iyaloja of Lagos who's also the daughter of the All Progressives Congress candidate has arrived her polling unit in 085, Ward 3, Sunday Adigun, Alausa, Ikeja.
9:30 am: INEC officials finally arrive at Bola Tinubu's polling unit
After some delay INEC officials have finally arrived at polling unit 085, Ward 3, Sunday Adigun, Alausa, Ikeja, which is where the All Progressive Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, will be casting his vote.
9:15 am: Peter Obi arrives polling unit
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has arrived at his polling unit in PU 019, Umudimakasi Square, Agulu, Anambra State. He expresses his optimism of victory while also stating that he isn't looking for a position in the cabinet of his opponents.
9:13 am: Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, casts vote in Ede
Governor Ademola Adeleke has cast his vote for the presidential and National Assembly elections today in Ede, Osun State.
9:11 am: PDP's presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar votes in Adamawa
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the People's Democratic Party as gone through he accreditation process before casting his vote in his polling unit in Ajiya 02, in Gwadabawa Ward, Yola North Local Government of Adamawa State.
9:04 am: Heavy Security presence as soldiers mans parts of the highways in Lagos state
Soldiers have set up road blocks in different parts of Lagos state in an enforcement of the Operation Safe Conduct which is aimed at ensuring orderliness during the 2023 elections.
8:49 am: INEC Staff begins setting up voting materials in parts of Lagos
INEC Staff can be seen setting up the voting materials in Smaila Street, Mende, Maryland as early voters are preparing to exercise their franchise.
08:11 am:
Voters are starting to arrive at their polling units all over Nigeria.
06:10 am: When will voting start?
Voting will commence at 8:30 am in polling units all over Nigeria, and end at 2:30 pm, but whoever is already accredited and on the line to vote by the time of the deadline will still be allowed to vote.
06:07 am: How many Nigerians will vote?
There are 93.5 million Nigerians on the national voters' register but 6.3 million of them have not collected their Permanent Voter's Card (PVC) in time to vote today. This leaves the number of voters eligible to vote at 87.2 million, the highest ever for any Nigerian election.
Nigeria's voters' turnout rate has been sliding down since 2003, but there are high hopes of an impressive turnout today.
06:05 am: The runoff question
The closeness of the race between the top three candidates has fueled speculations of a possible runoff election. That only happens when no candidate scores the highest number of votes while also winning 25% of votes in at least 24 states. You can read more about what would happen if a runoff election becomes necessary.
06:02 am: Who's running for president?
Let's keep a few things in mind before we go into the excitement of the day. There are 18 presidential candidates on the ballot, and you can read about all of them here, but the three frontrunners with strong chances of victory are Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) is also expected to have some say in today's contest.
06:00 am: Let the race begin!
Welcome to Pulse Nigeria's coverage of the 2023 presidential election. Millions of Nigerians will decide today who will replace President Muhammadu Buhari who will leave office on May 29, 2023.
Let's also not forget the National Assembly elections will happen at the same time as the presidential election. Hundreds of candidates are battling for the 109 seats in the Senate and 360 seats in the House of Representatives.