Opposition candidates are leading in the Nigerian election.

(Baonghean.vn) - The results reported in the Nigerian presidential elections show that opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari is leading incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

Reuters, which compared results from three-quarters of Nigeria's states as it was broadcasting live on state television, reported that Buhari had so far garnered 11.5 million votes, compared to Jonathan's 9.5 million.

Election officials from each of the 36 states take turns announcing their state results at the independent National Election Commission.

Goodluck Jonathan (left) and Muhammadu Buhari, two candidates in Nigeria's presidential election (Photo: CNN)

Vote counting was halted on Monday evening, March 30, and will resume on Tuesday morning, according to a tweet from Attahuru Jega, chairman of the election commission. Jega will be the one to announce the final results.

Violent protests following Saturday's Nigerian presidential election prompted both candidates to call for calm, while the United States and Britain warned of signs of political interference.

Protesters opened fire and set fire to a local election office in Nigeria's Rivers State on Sunday as they marched in protest against the election, amid widespread allegations of election fraud and voter intimidation.

Nigeria's current elections are considered the closest since democracy came to power in 1999 after decades of military rule. The two main candidates are incumbent President Jonathan of the People's Democratic Party and Buhari of the Progressive Congressional Party.

Britain and the United States also warned that any political interference would be contrary to the peace agreements of Jonathan and Buhari.

“To date, we have seen no evidence of fraud in this process. However, there are worrying indications that the vote counting process may be subject to political interference, which is contrary to the spirit of the Abuja Accord that both parties have committed to,” said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

In response to the aforementioned joint statement, election commission spokesman Kayode Idowu said, "To the best of my knowledge, there is no indication of political interference in the vote counting procedures." Idowu also stated that the vote counting process "cannot be falsified as long as our representatives are present."

The worrying aspect is that the results of the vote may not be accepted by the losing side. If the opposition believes it was rigged, protests in Rivers State could spread to northern Nigeria.

Both candidates have appeared on social media to call for calm among voters.

"I want to urge all Nigerians to patiently wait for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to cross-check and announce the results," Jonathan wrote on his Facebook page.

"My Nigerian brothers, I urge you to be patient and cautious as we await all the results to be announced," Buhari's Twitter account stated.

Nigeria's election was originally scheduled for February 14, but in July, Nigeria's electoral commission announced it would be postponed for another six weeks due to security concerns, as the military needed more time to secure areas controlled by the extremist group Boko Haram.

The Boko Haram group has made the elections in Nigeria extremely difficult (Photo: CNN)

Jonathan has been criticized for not acting strongly enough against Boko Haram, as the group was waging a campaign of terror aimed at imposing strict Sharia law in Nigeria.

Pham Tien Hoan(According to CNN)