Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)They came in droves, men, women, young, old. Mothers with babies strapped tightly to their backs, pregnant women, the elderly, some who could barely walk unaided.
They waited patiently for sometimes seven, eight hours in the scorching sun. In parts of the country where it poured down with rain, they stood, barely shielded under makeshift umbrellas.
It was one of Africa's biggest elections and it didn't disappoint. There was high drama, violence and tensions but most of all an electorate determined to exercise their democratic right to vote. In northern Nigeria, women turned out in large numbers.
Women at an Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp in northern Nigeria queue to register for the election on March 28.
Some polling stations in Lagos opened on Saturday at around 8 a.m. and a queue of eager voters quickly formed. There was a palpable air of excitement.
"I'm voting because the stakes are too high. If I don't vote, then I can't complain when things don't change," said Akin Ojo, an accountant and tax practitioner in Ikeja, Lagos.
"This election is important," he added. "People are starting to ask questions of their government. We need to hold them accountable."
Mueez Akanni Adepoju, 38, brought his two daughters to the polling station in the Oshodi ward, Lagos Island.
Nigerian voter: 'We need a change'01:12
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He said: "I want Nigeria to change. I don't want Nigerians to have to travel out of the country. We have everything here that anyone needs to survive but our government is not good."
Complex task
Navigating and orchestrating Africa's largest population of nearly 180 million in an election was never going to be easy.
Polling day was beset with administrative inefficiencies that threatened to derail the process. The much-vaunted card readers that were supposed to help combat election rigging failed to work in many areas and President Goodluck Jonathan was its highest profile victim.
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