The election has already been postponed once - for six weeks.
Officials, encouraged by the military, said they were worried about security concerns caused by the terror group Boko Haram.
The presidential contest is a mainly two-horse race with the former military ruler General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive party attempting to unseat the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan from the People's Democratic Party.{PDP}
The closeness has led to increased tension due to fears of election violence - and the two main contenders have signed two peace agreements urging their supporters to refrain from trouble and vote peacefully.
During the past six weeks, the ruling government instigated an offensive against Boko Haram routing it from many areas it had seized.
The day before elections, the army claimed it had recaptured the town of Gwoza where the terror group had its headquarters just across the border from Cameroon.
Reports suggested the 219 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls may have been taken there as "wives" for the fighters.
But so far, there's been little information, other than the snippets given by the military, about what they found in the town or the girls' whereabouts.
President Jonathan had promised he would rid Nigeria of Boko Haram in the six weeks before the delayed polls were held - leading to criticism from much of the population about why he hadn't tackled the problem more seriously over the past six years when the extremist group has been bombing, killing and kidnapping - mainly in the Muslim north.
Kano in the north of the country has the highest number of voters in Nigeria and has a mainly Muslim population. It has also been the target of Boko Haram attacks.
In the days leading up to the polls, Kano's minority non-Muslim residents have been seen fleeing the state for fear they may be the focus of any post-election unrest.
Vigilante groups operate outside the area's mosques, wielding machetes and sticks. But the volunteers insist they are simply there to try to deter any Boko Haram activities.
"We don't like Boko Haram," one told me. "They come here and bomb and blast us and we don't like that in this country. We want peace and unity."
In the last election, in 2011, (again between the same two main contenders) election violence led to an estimated 800 deaths with the Opposition decrying the result and insisting it was due to large-scale ballot-rigging.
Everyone will be holding their breath as millions of Nigerians in Africa's most populous country cast their ballots.
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