Early results from Nigeria's closest election since the end of military dictatorship in 1999 have begun to come in.
According to official results from the southwest Nigerian state of Ekiti, candidate Bola Tinubu of the governing party won handily in one of his strongholds.
Upcoming results won't be properly published until Monday at 10:00 GMT.
Voting was delayed till Sunday in various regions of the nation due to severe delays and assaults on a few polling places on Saturday.
In several places, voting went on all night.
In particular, among young people, who make up approximately one-third of the 87 million eligible voters, turnout seems to be strong.
As a result, it is Africa's largest democratic exercise.
The two-party system that has predominated has faced an unprecedented challenge in the election.
Atiku Abubakar of the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Tinubu of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), and Peter Obi of the hitherto unknown Labour Party are all viewed as probable winners. There are 15 other people running for president.
To be crowned the victor, a candidate must receive the most votes and 25% of the total ballots cast in 26 of Nigeria's 36 states.
If not, there would be a run-off in 21 days, which is unprecedented in Nigerian history.
Long lines at the polls on Saturday and sporadic claims of ballot boxes being stolen and armed men attacking voters marred the election, especially in the south, where Mr. Obi has considerable support.
In the Lekki neighborhood of Nigeria's largest metropolis, Lagos, Dr. Nkem Okoli was ready to cast his ballot when masked thugs assaulted the polling place.
"It was utter chaos." bottles were flying everywhere "She spoke to the BBC. "[The ballot box] was broken. The authorities' phones were taken by the thieves. "We are no longer able to vote."
Voting did not start in several places until about 18:00 local time, or three and a half hours after the polls were scheduled to close.
Susan Ekpoh, a first-time voter, told the BBC that she spent 13 hours in her polling place in Abuja, the nation's capital, and didn't leave until after midnight.
She claimed that as it became dark, election officials claimed they required light to see what they were doing; as a result, she and other participants illuminated the scene with their automobile headlights.
It is unclear how many portions of the nation saw voting postponed; the southern Bayelsa state was one of those where voting was delayed until Sunday.
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