Nigeria’s elections still unsafe

Nigeria's electoral landscape remains fraught with violence, a persistent issue since the nation's independence in 1960. Ballot box snatching, threats, physical attacks, and killings have become grimly familiar occurrences, fueled by a perceived lack of political maturity among the country's leaders.

The nation has witnessed devastating electoral violence, notably in 2011 when approximately 800 lives were lost following the general elections. The aftermath of the Peoples Democratic Party's victory over the Congress for Progressive Change triggered widespread unrest. Further bloodshed marked the 2015 and 2019 general elections, with the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project recording over 200 violent incidents involving party members and supporters in the 12 months leading up to the 2023 election, resulting in nearly 100 reported fatalities.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has also been targeted, with some of its offices looted and burned, and electoral officers abducted and assassinated. Between January 2021 and February 2023, ACLED documented 44 violent incidents affecting INEC offices and staff. As the country approaches the 2027 elections, political thugs have already targeted leading opposition figures and their supporters across several states, with some party secretariats set ablaze. This pattern of violence is a grave omen for the upcoming electoral cycle.