Role of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Security Management During 2023 General Elections in Adamawa State, Nigeria

This study examined the role of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). Two specific objectives and two research questions guided the study. The study employed a descriptive research design with a mixed method, combining quantitative data from structured questionnaires and qualitative insights from Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) to gain a comprehensive understanding of election security dynamics. The study was conducted in Adamawa State, focusing on six strategically selected Local Government Areas: Furore, Gombi, Lamurde, Mubi North, Numan, and Yola North. The total study population was 515,893 individuals, including INEC staff, ICCES personnel, election observers, political party officials, and eligible registered voters. Using Yamane’s formula, a sample size of 400 respondents was determined and proportionately allocated across the population categories. Data collection instruments were validated by experts in political science and security studies, while the reliability test using Cronbach’s Alpha produced a coefficient of 0.86, indicating high internal consistency. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies, means, and standard deviations, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic content analysis. The major findings of the study revealed that the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) played vital roles such as creating safe voting environments, maintaining law and order, securing electoral materials, and responding to crises, and the strategies employed by ICCES were rated as moderately effective. While they managed to provide security and coordination, some actions—especially in conflict management and logistics—were not significantly achieved, indicating gaps in implementation. Finally, the study recommends Strengthen the Capacity of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security. The Federal Government should allocate adequate resources to strengthen ICCES through improved logistics, intelligence gathering, and regular inter-agency coordination. Periodic joint drills should be conducted ahead of elections to enhance preparedness, response time, and cooperation among security agencies. They should continue to conduct regular capacity building training workshops which can have online self-test modules based on needs assessment for all the agencies. Sustain nationwide security threat analyses, develop a coordination framework and common database of election security threats and incidents.