The Right to Vote and Electoral Violence in Rivers State: Human Rights Implications

This research examines the relationship between electoral violence and the right to vote in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria, where elections have historically been accompanied by significant violence, intimidation, and disenfranchisement. The right to free, fair, and periodic elections is protected under Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, as well as Section 77 of the 1999 Constitution. The study evaluates the institutional response of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to electoral violence through doctrinal analysis and empirical field research conducted before, during, and after the 2023 general elections in Port Harcourt and Degema. Testimonies from voters, electoral officers, political party agents, and civil society election observers are analyzed in conjunction with incident reports from the Centre for Democracy and Development and CLEEN Foundation. Findings reveal systematic patterns of voter intimidation, ballot snatching, vote buying, and targeted violence against opposition supporters, with documented cases of deaths and injuries during the voting process. The study argues that impunity for electoral violence perpetrators represents a systemic failure of the state's obligation to protect political rights. Recommendations include stiffer electoral offence penalties, expanded deployment of independent security oversight during elections, and enhanced INEC coordination with human rights bodies. Keywords: right to vote, electoral violence, Rivers State, INEC, democratic rights.