NIGERIA’S 2023 GENERAL ELECTION AND ASSOCIAITED NATIONAL SECURITY CHALLENGES: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF COUNSELING FOR ENHANCED SAFETY AND SECURITY

Abstract

This paper examined the conduct of elections in Nigeria and its associated national security challenges with special attention to the recently concluded 2023general elections. The study was guided by three objectives which included: to find out issues that gave rise to security concerns during Nigeria’s 2023 general election season; to ascertain nature and results of opinion polls on Nigeria’s 2023 elections; to find out roles that counseling could play to entrench national safety and security during elections. The Behavioral Leadership Theory proposed by Dr Rensis Likert in 1950 was adopted as the theoretical framework. Opinion polls constituted the primary source of data while secondary materials (in the form of election reportage by newspapers and election monitoring groups) were also accessed. Content analysis method was used to analyze secondary materials, whereas primary data were descriptively analyzed and presented. The study found that wrong electoral orientation of the populace, inter and intra party crisis, election rigging and vote buying among other issues constituted serious threats to national safety and security during election seasons in Nigeria. The adoption and implementation of the European Union 2023 Election Observer Mission Report, among other measures was strongly recommended.