President Olusegun Obasanjo will face a motley array of challengers on April 19, four years after he came to power in an election organised for only three parties under rules imposed by the outgoing military regime.
But while civilian rule has thrown up an assortment of politicians from the radical left, labour movement and special interest groups, the 64-year-old retired general's main challengers are also former military men.
Obasanjo's toughest opponent is likely to be retired general Muhammadu Buhari, like him a former military dictator, the candidate of the main opposition All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP).
Other leading candidates include retired major general Ike Nwachukwu, who served as a foreign minister under a previous military regime and now fronts the National Democratic Party (NDP).
He is joined by former general Chukwumeka Ojukwu, who led the separatist Biafran forces in the 1967-1970 civil war, but now seeks election to lead all of Nigeria for the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
Among the best known of the non-military candidates is Lagos-based rights lawyer Gani Fawehinmi, a firebrand left-wing radical whose National Conscience Party (NCP) fought against former miltary regimes.
On the left he is joined by respected campaigner and former Kaduna State governor Balarabe Musa of the People's Redemption Party (PRP).
Other significant figures include veteran politician and businessman Jim Nwobodo of the United Nigeria People's Party (UNPP) and well-known radical lawyer Olatunji Braithwaite of the Nigerian Advance Party (NAP).
Few of the parties can hope to match the organisation and funding of Obasanjo's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), whose 21 state governors (out of 36) will be the election's key kingmakers.
Among the fringe groups contesting the poll, two have women candidates: Sarah Jibril of the Progressive Action Congress (PAC) and retired major Mojisola Adekunle-Obasanjo of the Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN).
Eleven registered parties chose not to field presidential candidates, including the powerful Alliance for Democracy (AD), which holds six state governorships including the commercial capital Lagos.
On Tuesday AD leaders said they has set up a panel to discuss alliances with other parties, but they are widely expected to back Obasanjo, who hails from their southwestern heartland - Sapa-AFP.
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