Security Agents and General Elections in Nigeria: A Study of 2019 General Elections in Rivers Stat, Nigeria

Free, fair and credible elections empower the electorate to hold the government accountable and to demand strong credentials and workable development agenda from prospective government official and must therefore be conducted in a secured environment. This study is on security agents and general elections in Nigeria: A study of 2019 general elections in Rivers State. The research is guided by the following research questions; what are the activities of state and non-state security actors during 2019 general elections in Rivers State; what are the effects of the activities of state and non-state security actors on 2019 general elections in Rivers State; what are the security challenges faced by the security agencies during the 2019 general elections in Rivers State and what are the strategies to improve security activities for better electoral process in Rivers State? and the following research objectives; to examine the activities of state and non-state security actors during 2019 general elections in Rivers State; to examine the impacts of the activities of state and non-state security actors on 2019 general elections in Rivers State; to identify the security challenges faced by the security agencies during the 2019 general elections in River’s State and to proffer strategies to improve security activities for better electoral process in Rivers State. The study used survey research design and purposive sampling techniques respectively for the study while games theory was adopted as the theoretical framework of the study. The study made use of both primary data gotten from distributed questionnaires, oral interview and secondary data gotten from journals, textbooks and newspapers. While the primary data were presented and analysed with the use of pie charts, bar charts and simple percentage frequency and the responses to the questionnaire items analyzed with the four-point Likert tool of analysis; the secondary data was analysed with the use of content analysis. The study amongst others found out that; the presence of security agents could lead to voter apathy, security agents can influence electoral process negatively and that during the 2019 general elections in Rivers state there was carting away of electoral materials by thug, there was militancy and cult clashes all of which lead to election violence during the elections in the state. The study therefore recommends amongst others that there is need for election education of both electorates and security officers, government needs to take idle youths off the street so they do not become political thugs, and that there should adequate budgetary provisions for the conduct of elections in Nigeria.