Acknowledgment very friendly with development partners and stakeholders generally. 'Lai Olurode INEC Headquarters, Abuja Sept. 2013. xxviii ELECTION SECURITY IN NIGERIA: MATTERS ARISING Chapter One ELECTION SECURITY IN NIGERIA: IS THERE A SILVER LINING? 'Lai Olurode 1.1 Introduction “The risk of violence is present in nearly every election. It can inhibit voter turnout, limit political campaign movements and push candidates to drop out-all of which call into question the credibility of an electoral process. This is particularly true of emerging democracies as they navigate new processes and challenges.” 25 Years Supporting Democracy, IFES 2012 Annual Report, Page 21. The role of theory and research in stimulating strategic responses to issues and in cultivating best approaches and practices cannot be ignored except at the peril of good outcome. Really, a theory is comparable to search light under darkness. It illuminates and makes one to see well. Of course, theories assume some relationships between phenomena. A set of assumptions are also embedded while outcomes are anticipated. Even a lay person rarely ventures into something or an activity without a set of expected outcomes and some assumed relationships between key variables. Theory is often juxtaposed with practice. Their relationship is not to be conceived of as oppositional but as mutually beneficial and reinforcing of explanations and in framing conclusions. ELECTION SECURITY IN NIGERIA: MATTERS ARISING 1