Post by Henry Emeka (@Emekus)

Respectfully core ways to reduce election violence in Nigeria now 5/26/2026
Build a real election security architecture
Dedicated election security planning:
Create a permanent election security unit that works year‑round with INEC, police, DSS, military, and civil society to map hotspots, plan deployments, and monitor risks—not just rush arrangements weeks before elections.

Early warning systems:
Use community monitors, hotlines, and data tools to flag threats like thugs’ recruitment, arms movement, hate speech, and rising tensions before they explode. Projects like the NEVER initiative in Edo and Ondo have already tested this model.

Make political actors feel real consequences
Enforce laws on thuggery, vote buying, and intimidation:
Right now, politicians use violence because it works and nothing happens to them. That has to change.

Special election offenses courts:
Fast‑track prosecution of:

sponsors of thugs

security agents who collude

party leaders who incite violence

Publicly naming and jailing a few high‑profile offenders would change the calculation for everyone else.

Fix the root causes inside the political system
Internal party democracy:
When primaries are rigged or imposed, losers feel cheated and resort to violence in general elections. More transparent primaries = fewer “do‑or‑die” battles later.

De‑glamorize political office:
As long as office means massive wealth and impunity, people will kill for it. Reducing perks, tightening anti‑corruption enforcement, and making office more about service than jackpot reduces the incentive to fight violently over it.

Use civic education to change the culture around elections
Long‑term civic education, not just jingles before elections:
Teach in schools, mosques, churches, markets, and on radio/TV, CCTV cameras in the 36 states 774 LGA 240 million Nigerians will receive alerts on their phones Asap

that election violence is a crime, not “normal politics”

how to report threats safely

why rigged elections hurt 240 million Nigerians decades after decades

Integration and inclusion:
Research shows that better civic education and social integration reduce the appeal of violence and manipulation.

Protect voters, observers, and INEC staff
Visible, neutral security presence:
Security agents should protect all parties and voters—not act as tools of incumbents. Training on neutrality and human rights is key.

Safe reporting channels:
Anonymous hotlines, observer networks, and rapid response teams can make people feel less alone when they see threats.

Make the process itself more credible
Reduce opportunities for rigging:
The more 240 million Nigerians believe results will be written somewhere else, the more they feel they must “defend” their votes violently.

Transparent tech and collation:

reliable electronic transmission of results

public posting of polling unit results

open access for observers and media

When people trust the process, they’re less likely to fight over it.

Keep working between elections, not just during them
Election violence is built over months—through hate speech, recruitment of thugs, and quiet arming of groups. So the work to stop it has to be continuous, not seasonal.

https://kimpact.org.ng/storage/publications/ondo_edo_2024_nevr_report/2024_NEVER_Election_report_abridged.pdf?utm_source=copilot.com

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/political-science/articles/10.3389/fpos.2025.1458303/full?utm_source=copilot.com

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