Nigerians turn out in strength for presidential election

Queues formed early, including in the village of tin-roofed shacks in the southern Niger Delta where incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan will vote and in the dusty alleyway in the northern village of Daura where his main rival, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, was expected to cast his ballot.

Two bombs panicked voters in the troubled northeastern city of Maiduguri, but there appeared to have been an orderly start to election day across most of the country of 150 million in a poll being watched closely by other African states.

The polls pit Jonathan, the first head of state from the oil-producing Niger Delta, against Buhari, a northern Muslim with a reputation as a disciplinarian. Other candidates include former anti-corruption chief Nuhu Ribadu and Kano state governor Ibrahim Shekarau, though they are seen as rank outsiders.

"We have come out early because this is the time for the north. We know Buhari can change the lives of our people, change the standard of living," said Salisu Yahaya, 35, a civil servant waiting in line in Daura.

The African giant, more populous than Russia, has failed to hold a free and fair presidential election since military rule ended in 1999, leaving many citizens with little faith in democracy.

But a relatively successful parliamentary election a week ago, deemed credible by observers despite isolated acts of violence, has renewed voter confidence. Turnout appeared to be much higher than for the parliamentary election.

"There is no mago mago," said local election observer Agu Michael, 42, using the Yoruba expression for trickery in Lagos, Nigeria's biggest city. "People will come out in mass."

Jonathan, a former zoology teacher born to a family of canoe makers, is the front-runner. He is backed by the People's Democratic Party (PDP), whose candidate has won every presidential race since 1999.