Hypothetically, after twenty years of uninterrupted civil rule in Nigeria and six election cycles, elections in Nigeria should be devoid of the negativities that have marked the conduct of elections between 1960 and 1999. Conversely, the over two decades of democracy have not yielded the corollary of positivity, good conduct, and peaceful elections in Africa’s largest democracy. Consequently, violence and how to prevent its recurrence keep attracting attention during preparations for elections in Nigeria. The Chairman of the Electoral Institute (Nigeria) Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru opined that “there seems to be an erroneous notion in the Nigerian political space that violence is a helpful route to winning elections. This seems to be the typical mindset of many political players in our climate, and so they often make preparations for elections as if it is preparation for war.” (Daily Post, May 10, 2022). And like every war, the most vulnerable are those who are most unlikely to foment trouble – the women and children.
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