Abstract This study examines the nexus between law enforcement agencies and electoral security in Nigeria. This is against the background of the rising cases of electoral violence since the outset of the Fourth Republic. Anchored on the Marxist theory of the state, documentary method and qualitative content analysis, the study posits that the state control of law enforcement agencies has serious implications for electoral security in Nigeria. Drawing insights from the Fourth Republic, the study argues that the centralization of the command structure, as well as the functional control of law enforcement agencies by the Federal Government, has rendered them unable to mitigate effectively the rising incidence of electoral insecurity in Nigeria. The study notes that law enforcement agencies have paradoxically become a central element of electoral insecurity, on account of their partisan roles in election administration, the scenario which primarily derives from low autonomization of the Nigerian state. Among others, the study makes a strong case for an amendment of the Electoral Act and allied legal documents to ensure that, on election day, law enforcement agencies come under the control and command of the head of electoral commission rather than the Inspector-General of Police or the President, who, at that point, is an interested party. keywords: Election, election administration, electoral security, law enforcement agency, Nigerian state.