VUNA Journal of History and International Relations, Vol. 7, No.1, January 2023 1 Drug Abuse and the Challenge of Electoral Violence in Nigeria: A Review Anyanwu, Christiantus Izuchukwu Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Veritas University, Abuja Abstract Drug abuse is now a major issue worldwide. Numerous nations invest a significant amount of money in their efforts to combat the illicit drug trade. Despite the fact that numerous organizations, laws, policies, and regulations have been put in place in Nigeria to combat the distribution and consumption of illegal drugs, the rising number of drug users has become outrageous and has become a danger to the conduct of elections. This essay examines how drug abuse affects how Nigerian elections are conducted. The chosen research design was a descriptive survey. There were developed two research questions. 14.3 million People in Nigeria, mostly smokers of Indian hemp, abuse drugs, according to official statistics. 400 samples were chosen at random and clustered for feasibility based on the six geopolitical zones using the Taro Yamane formula. According to the study, drug abuse encourages electoral violence in Nigeria to a "very high" degree. Additionally, drug abuse, particularly the smoking of Indian hemp, encourages violent tendencies. The paper came to the conclusion that the country's election process is seriously in jeopardy given the rising rate of drug abuse. The paper made several recommendations, including that the government recognize and support the counseling profession in order to effectively counsel young Nigerians against drug abuse and other vices, prioritize youth empowerment in order to decrease youth unemployment and idleness, and pass the electoral offense act. Keywords: Drug abuse, Election, Electoral violence, and Political participation VUNA JOURNAL OF HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Journal Homepage: https://www.veritas.edu.ng/journals/vunahisjournal.php ISSN: 2408-6177