Staff members distribute ballot papers at a polling station in Abuja, Nigeria, on Feb. 25, 2023. Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off Saturday as voters went to the polls nationwide to elect a new president and members of the national assembly. (Xinhua/Guo Jun)
ABUJA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off Saturday as voters went to the polls nationwide to elect a new president and members of the national assembly.
Polling stations will stay open until the last accredited voter in the queue casts his or her vote, an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the country's electoral body, told Xinhua at a polling station in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, on Saturday.
Musa Galadima, a voter, said Nigerians were determined to freely exercise their civic responsibilities in a credible, free, and fair election process.
A total of 87.2 million citizens who have received voters card are expected to vote in the elections across the country, Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the INEC, told a press conference on Friday.
Eighteen presidential candidates will take part in the presidential election. ■
A man casts his vote at a polling station in Ikeja, Lagos state, Nigeria, on Feb. 25, 2023. Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off Saturday as voters went to the polls nationwide to elect a new president and members of the national assembly. (Photo by Emma Osodi/Xinhua)
A man displays his voter's card at a polling station in Ikeja, Lagos state, Nigeria, on Feb. 25, 2023. Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off Saturday as voters went to the polls nationwide to elect a new president and members of the national assembly. (Photo by Emma Osodi/Xinhua)
A woman casts her vote at a polling station in Daura, Katsina state, Nigeria, on Feb. 25, 2023. Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off Saturday as voters went to the polls nationwide to elect a new president and members of the national assembly. (News Agency of Nigeria/Handout via Xinhua)
Peter Obi (2nd R, front), presidential candidate of the Labour Party, heads to a polling station in the Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria, on Feb. 25, 2023. Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off Saturday as voters went to the polls nationwide to elect a new president and members of the national assembly. (News Agency of Nigeria/Handout via Xinhua)
Bola Tinubu (2nd L, front), presidential candidate of the governing All Progressives Congress, casts his vote at a polling station in Ikeja, Lagos state, Nigeria, on Feb. 25, 2023. Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off Saturday as voters went to the polls nationwide to elect a new president and members of the national assembly. (Photo by Emma Osodi/Xinhua)
Atiku Abubakar (C, front), presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, casts his vote at a polling station in Yola, the state capital of Adamawa state, Nigeria, on Feb. 25, 2023. Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off Saturday as voters went to the polls nationwide to elect a new president and members of the national assembly. (Photo by Marvellous Durowaiye/Xinhua)
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (R, front) casts his vote at a polling station in Daura, Katsina state, Nigeria, on Feb. 25, 2023. Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections kicked off Saturday as voters went to the polls nationwide to elect a new president and members of the national assembly. (News Agency of Nigeria/Handout via Xinhua)
