“Nigeria Decides 2023: A Snap Review of Public Opinion on Election Security Management”

The first NERCT series event this year was held online for Tuesday, February 21th, 2023, 1-2:30pm WAT.

Since the end of military rule, Nigeria has successfully conducted six national elections. In every instance, incidents of voter intimidation and violence were reported, making the issue of “election risk assessment and mitigation” a priority for each election in the country. Despite these reports, a reduction of election-related violence has been observed since the 2015 elections, the year when incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan made the now famous statement that his “ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian”.

With Nigeria engulfed in multiple crises, ranging from terrorism and very high daily crime rates to mass poverty, currency issues and energy supplies, the country’s next leader will have the mandate of mitigating those crises and creating conditions that foster social and economic growth. Given the stakes, the spectre of polarisation and election violence becomes more present as election day nears.

Can mass violence be avoided again during this election? What were the lessons learned from previous elections and how do these lessons impact the current security plans? Is INEC ready for election day and its challenges, and what is the biggest issue regarding the effective conduct of the elections?

For this event, three experts provided their analysis and insights on those issues:

Prof. Zara Emmanuel Kwaghe
Department of History and International Studies, Federal University of Lafia

Dr. Anthony Chukwuebuka Okoye
Senior Lecturer/Consultant, Department of Political Science, Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa


Amb. Ade Mario Emmanuel
DG, Collation of Nigerian Youths on Security and Safety Affairs (CONYSSA)

The event was introduced and moderated by Uzoma Ikechukwu Kingsley, MD MOSECON Africa and CEO Eagle Rescue and Alarm Systems Ltd., Abuja, Nigeria.

To listen to the audio recording, please click below. You can also follow us on Twitter: @NERCT2023.

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