The two-party system which has dominated since the end of military rule in 1999 is under threat.
Whoever wins will have to deal with the currency redesign, a crumbling economy, high youth unemployment, and widespread insecurity which saw 10,000 killed last year.
"It is my responsibility and I have seen how important it is to vote," 19-year-old first-time-voter Blessing Ememumodak told the BBC in Lagos. The wealthy businessman served as governor of the south-eastern Anambra State from 2006 to 2014. His backers, known as the "OBIdients" say he is the only candidate with integrity, but his critics argue that a vote for Obi is wasted as he is unlikely to win.Instead, the PDP, which ruled until 2015, wants Nigerians to vote for Atiku Abubakar, 76 - the only major candidate from the country's mainly Muslim north.
Its candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 70, is credited with building Nigeria's commercial hub Lagos, during his two terms as governor until 2007. The Independent National Electoral Commission has promised free and fair elections, and has dismissed talk of postponement amid fears of insecurity in parts of the country and the cash shortage that many feared might affect its preparations.
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