Nigeria’s upcoming election is a critical juncture in the nation’s history, with security being a major concern. In recent years, the country has been plagued by violence and instability, making it difficult for citizens to exercise their right to vote. In a report released by CLEEN Foundation on the 8th February 2023 titled ‘2023 Election Security Threat Assessment’, the Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Mr. Gad Peter, noted that 13 states comprising Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Benue, Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba, Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Abia were reported to be the most violence-prone states, while other 21 states of the federation are battling with one form of violence or the other.
According to the Foundation, the research was carried out across the six geopolitical zones to examine the security situation for the forthcoming general election and to make recommendations towards a successful 2023 general elections.
The report stated that only three states Jigawa, Kano, and FCT are safe and peaceful for the conduct of general elections. With this report, it can be said that the country is not very ready for the elections, considering that two-thirds of the states of the federation are not safe.
Joining this report together with the revelation by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as reported by Vanguard Newspaper and other news platforms on 9th January 2023, where he “lamented the growing wave of election-related insecurity across the country, expressing fears that the trend if not checkmated could lead to the cancellation or postponement of the forthcoming polls”, and despite his insistence that the election will go on no matter what the country is facing, a cloud of doubt is casted over the possibility of conducting the election. The attacks on INEC facilities have been at a high rate, attacks on security agencies and infrastructure have also been on the high side, and this is indeed worrisome.With this report coming exactly a month after the revelation made by the INEC chairman, there is no doubt that Nigeria is not very safe for elections to be conducted.
To ensure a safe and secure election, there is a need to re-emphasis the calls being made by individuals, CSOs, and security experts to the Nigerian government to put together measures, such as deploying additional security forces and increasing surveillance.
Additionally, efforts should continually be made to educate citizens on the importance of voting and the need to protect their ballots. There is a high risk of violence and disruption during the election and Nigeria’s government needs to beef up the security of the country to have peaceful elections free of violence and loss of lives and property. Hence, electorates and electoral management body must remain vigilant and take all necessary steps to ensure violence free 2023 general election.