Abuja, March 28 (IANS): The official website of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is suspected to have been hacked, the electoral body said on Saturday, as a crucial presidential election is being held in the West African country.

In a terse statement, the Nigerian electoral body said its website, www.inecnigeria.org, had been taken over at some moment after 11 a.m., while the election process was going on.

"We are currently investigating this incident," Xinhua news agency quoted the electoral body's statement as saying.

Meanwhile, voters in Nigeria's capital Abuja have flayed the accreditation process which preceded voting in the presidential election on Saturday.

Many of the voters, who had arrived at polling units ahead of the scheduled time for accreditation, said officials of the electoral body did not arrive until two hours later to commence the process.

A total of 14 candidates are competing in Saturday's presidential election, seen as the toughest since the West African country reverted to democracy 16 years ago.