SINCE independence in 1960, ballot box snatching, threats, physical attacks and killings have occurred with impunity before, during and after almost every election cycle in Nigeria. This is fuelled by a lack of political maturity among the country’s political class.
Serious electoral violence occurred in 2011 when about 800 lives were lost after the general elections. The victory of former President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party over Muhammadu Buhari of the then Congress for Progressive Change triggered the violence.
Hundreds of people also died during the 2015 and 2019 general elections. Armed Conflict Location & Event Data recorded over 200 violent events involving party members and supporters in the 12 months preceding the 2023 election. This resulted in almost 100 reported fatalities.
The Independent National Electoral Commission was not spared, as some of its offices across the country were looted and torched. Some electoral officers were abducted and
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