Voting in Nigeria Marked by Tumult

The most serious incidents occurred in the troubled Niger Delta, where abductions, robberies and violent clashes with police are routine. Militants attacked two police stations in Port Harcourt, the region's largest city, hours before dawn, killing seven officers.

Also in the delta, a politician's home was firebombed, killing three people. When ballots arrived late at one polling station, youths burned down the local election office. There also were sporadic reports of apparent ballot box stuffing.

The Associated Press reported that in one Niger Delta polling station youths bought and sold ballots and identification cards for about $3 per vote. At another polling station there, a dozen shirtless men on a balcony above the ballot boxes shouted down at voters, telling them how to cast their ballots.

Beyond the delta, two politicians in the southern city of Enugu were killed in a scuffle. Nationwide, the number of arrests reached into the hundreds, with charges including assault, arson and theft of ballot boxes.

At a polling station in his home state in southwestern Nigeria, Obasanjo told reporters that overall, "the situation in the country is very satisfactory. . . . So far, so good."

His election in 1999 marked the beginning of Nigeria's modern era of democracy, following decades of coups, assassinations and abortive attempts at civilian government. A successful transition next month would be the first handover of power from one elected leader to another.

Vying to replace Obasanjo is his handpicked candidate, Umaru Yar'adua, a reclusive northern governor, and former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari.

A third candidate, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, is fighting a legal battle to have his name restored to the ballot after the electoral commission barred him from running, citing allegations of corruption. Abubakar, who long has been estranged from Obasanjo, has accused the president of manipulating the electoral commission to keep him off the ballot.