Logistics and Election Management in Nigeria: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Election management is an important aspect of a country’s political and electoral developmental processes. Inadequate planning and management of the electoral process can hamper the success of any election. It is against this backdrop that the paper examines the issue of electoral management focusing on logistics arrangements in the Nigerian electoral process. It made a comparative analysis of the 2012 and 2016 governorship election in Edo State as it relates to logistics management and electoral efficiency. The descriptive and historical methods as well as case study were adopted for the study which was based primarily on secondary sources of data. The data were analyzed systematically and critically to ensure an adequate understanding of the phenomenon under study. From the analysis of both the 2012 and 2016 Edo State governorship elections, in terms of Election Day logistics management, it was discovered that the dismal performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2012 election was greatly improved upon in the 2016 election though, some lapses were still noticeable. Consequently, the following recommendation amongst others is made. INEC should improve on logistics planning and communication processes during elections. It should ensure effective distribution of electoral materials, undertake a before- election inspection of transportation routes and test-running these routes to ensure efficiency in the delivery.