2nd LD Writethru: Explosion rocks Nigeria polling unit on election day

An explosion rocked a polling unit in Nigeria's southeastern state of Enugu on Saturday, hours before the crucial presidential and national assembly elections commenced in the West African country, local police said.

The bomb was hidden under a Honda car at the WTC Primary School, one of the polling units in Ogui area of Enugu, the state police chief, Dan Bature, told Xinhua.

According to the official, three other bombs hidden under cars in the voting area were defused by the anti-bomb unit of the police.

No suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident, he added.

Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps in the state, Steven Lar, told reporters that no death casualty was recorded in the incident, although there were traces of blood indicating some injuries were sustained.

The official, however, did not specify the number of injured persons.

Despite the incident, accreditation of voters was done at the polling unit amid tight security.

Heavy presence of security has been reported in most polling centers across Nigeria as more than 56 million eligible voters went there to cast their ballots to elect a new president.

Fourteen candidates are competing in the presidential election, but it is most likely to be a tight race between incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan, from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, and opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari, who is a former military leader.

The two contested in the 2011 general elections. In this year's election, a neck-and-neck race is expected as both possess matchable popularity. Endi