Four years after a direct contest between two candidates for Nigeria's biggest political prize, the 2003 presidential election attracted a total of 20 candidates but only three of them fought for the bulk of the votes.
In his pursuit of a second term as president, Olusegun Obasanjo won the ticket of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) again.
After a chaotic reign as a military ruler in the 1980s, Muhammadu Buhari made his first crack at becoming a democratic president, as the flagbearer of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP).
Decades after leading a civil war to split the southeast region from Nigeria, Odumegwu Ojukwu, looked to the ballot as an option for him to lead the country, as the candidate of the All Progressives' Grand Alliance (APGA).
For the 2003 presidential election, 60.8 million Nigerians registered to vote, and 42 million (69.1%) voted, with 2.5 million of the votes invalid.
This is how Nigerians voted in each state.
Abia
Buhari — 84,305 (11.3%)
Obasanjo — 386,748 (51.7%)
Ojukwu — 260,899 (34.9%)
Adamawa
Buhari — 285,151 (29.8%)
Obasanjo — 660,780 (69.1%)
Ojukwu — 2,352 (0.2%)
Akwa-Ibom
Buhari — 162,542 (12.6%)
Obasanjo — 1,084,574 (83.9%)
Ojukwu — 1,077 (0.1%)
Anambra
Buhari — 79,476 (9.2%)
Obasanjo — 466,866 (54.1%)
Ojukwu — 279,378 (32.4%)
Bauchi
Buhari — 1,043,442 (62.1%)
Obasanjo — 617,291 (36.7%)
Ojukwu — 1,678 (0.1%)
Bayelsa
Buhari — 18,344 (2.5%)
Obasanjo — 708,312 (96%)
Ojukwu — 3 (0%)
Benue
Buhari — 494,804 (40.8%)
Obasanjo — 662,422 (54.6%)
Ojukwu — 6,731 (0.5%)
Borno
Buhari — 727,595 (65%)
Obasanjo — 380,875 (34%)
Ojukwu — 3,549 (0.3%)
Cross River
Buhari — 11,624 (0.9%)
Obasanjo — 1,207,675 (97.9%)
Ojukwu — 2,112 (0.2%)
Delta
Buhari — 27,492 (2.4%)
Obasanjo — 1,072,527 (94%)
Ojukwu — 15,062 (1.3%)
Ebonyi
Buhari — 16,308 (2%)
Obasanjo — 752,823 (94.5%)
Ojukwu — 20,525 (2.6%)
Edo
Buhari — 109,401 (9.9%)
Obasanjo — 979,775 (88.5%)
Ojukwu — 2,247 (0.2)
Ekiti
Buhari — 7,500 (2.3%)
Obasanjo — 301,185 (92.4%)
Ojukwu — 1,300 (0.4%)
Enugu
Buhari — 18,987 (1.7%)
Obasanjo — 897,721 (79.7%)
Ojukwu — 177,050 (15.7%)
Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Buhari — 99,220 (38%)
Obasanjo — 130,243 (49.9%)
Ojukwu — 22,481 (8.6%)
Gombe
Buhari — 516,081 (52.9%)
Obasanjo — 452,328 (46.3%)
Ojukwu — 1,601 (0.2%)
Imo
Buhari — 53,983 (5.3%)
Obasanjo — 656,861 (64.6%)
Ojukwu — 281,114 (27.7%)
Jigawa
Buhari — 885,505 (80.4%)
Obasanjo — 202,502 (18.4%)
Ojukwu — 2,136 (0.2%)
Kaduna
Buhari — 870,454 (45.4%)
Obasanjo — 1,025,347 (53.4%)
Ojukwu — 7,800 (0.4%)
Kano
Buhari — 1,628,085 (74.9%)
Obasanjo — 492,755 (22.7%)
Ojukwu — 10,229 (0.5%)
Katsina
Buhari — 1,259,789 (76.2%)
Obasanjo — 380,914 (23%)
Ojukwu — 2,928 (0.2%)
Kebbi
Buhari — 529,512 (65%)
Obasanjo — 272,564 (33.4%)
Ojukwu — 3,888 (0.5%)
Kogi
Buhari — 314,494 (36.4%)
Obasanjo — 528,778 (61.2%)
Ojukwu — 2,275 (0.3%)
Kwara
Buhari — 170,325 (29.6%)
Obasanjo — 390,800 (68%)
Ojukwu — 2,293 (0.4%)
Lagos
Buhari — 116,510 (7.1%)
Obasanjo — 1,129,521 (69.3%)
Ojukwu — 134,764 (8.3%)
Nasarawa
Buhari — 244,005 (33.5%)
Obasanjo — 470,936 (64.6%)
Ojukwu — 1,488 (0.2%)
Niger
Buhari — 390,103 (39.7%)
Obasanjo — 486,621(49.5%)
Ojukwu — 11,849 (1.2%)
Ogun
Buhari — 680 (0.1%)
Obasanjo — 1,360,170 (99.9%)
Ojukwu — 27 (0%)
Ondo
Buhari — 31,994 (3.6%)
Obasanjo — 840,988 (94.6%)
Ojukwu — 4,180 (0.5%)
Osun
Buhari — 14,369 (2.3%)
Obasanjo — 582,089 (95.2%)
Ojukwu — 1,424 (0.2%)
Oyo
Buhari — 25,112 (2.8%)
Obasanjo — 828,725 (93.9%)
Ojukwu — 4,519 (0.5%)
Plateau
Buhari — 324,566 (30.9%)
Obasanjo — 706,432 (67.3%)
Ojukwu — 6,362 (0.6%)
Rivers
Buhari — 42,346 (2%)
Obasanjo — 2,003,521 (92.7%)
Ojukwu — 5,964 (0.3%)
Sokoto
Buhari — 681,153 (73.3%)
Obasanjo — 232,258 (25%)
Ojukwu — 6,869 (0.7%)
Taraba
Buhari — 198,023 (21.9%)
Obasanjo — 694,527 (76.6%)
Ojukwu — 1,179 (0.1%)
Yobe
Buhari — 383,583 (64%)
Obasanjo — 206,984 (34.5%)
Ojukwu — 3,522 (0.6%)
Zamfara
Buhari — 843,159 (80%)
Obasanjo — 200,702 (19%)
Ojukwu — 4,590 (0.4%)
Total
Buhari — 12,710,022 (32.2%)
Obasanjo — 24,456,140 (61.9%) — Winner
Ojukwu — 1,297,445 (3.3%)
*Data sourced from Electoral Geography and African Elections Database due to the absence of verified data from INEC.
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