Nigeria Closes All Land Borders During Tightly Contested Elections On February 25

• Nigeria is closing all its land borders during crucial elections on Saturday, February 25, 2023
• The move, according to the Nigerian Immigration Service, is to ensure that the presidential elections are devoid of anything untoward incidents
• A statement from the NIS has disclosed that already 6,000 voters' cards and other Nigerian identification documents have been seized from illegal immigrants

The Nigerian Federal Government has directed that all land borders of the populous country be closed during elections on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

According to a statement from the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Issah Jere Idris, the border closure is to prevent any anomalies during the tightly-contested elections.

"We are committed to Project Nigeria while ensuring that, within the parameters of the powers vested on us by the relevant laws, the coming elections are free, fair and devoid of anomalies," the immigration service tweeted.

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The statement disclosed that 6,000 voters' cards and other Nigerian identification documents have been seized from illegal immigrants in the run-up to the tense elections.

Earlier, president Muhammadu Buhari appealed to the Nigerian security agencies to ensure that the elections are devoid of chaos.

Nigeria holds historic elections on Saturday

Nigerians head to the polls on Saturday, February 25, 2023, for a historic presidential election.

The election is historic because it has been described by political pundits as the most closely contested since 1999 when multi-party democracy returned to Africa's most populous country.

According to people with knowledge about the politics in Nigeria, only three out of 18 candidates stand a realistic chance of becoming president of the Federal Public after Saturday's elections.

They are: Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar. Political watchers say each of these three has a real chance to win the elections.

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Nigerians face economic challenges as election draws near

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a separate story that Nigerians want to use Saturday's presidential elections to push for a better life in his oil-rich but crisis-ridden country.

Double-digit inflation, weak economic growth and mounting insecurity are major issues for voters on February 25 when they choose a successor to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, due to step down after two terms allowed by law.

Africa's largest economy and the continent's top oil producer, Nigeria has resources and wealth, but the global pandemic and the economic fallout from the Ukraine war hit the country hard in Buhari's last term.

Source: YEN.com.gh