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VOTERS APATHY IN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS OF ONDO STATE NIGERIA: INTERROGATING THE 2020 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION
Abstract
Voters’ participation in election is essential for deciding leadership legitimacy in a democracy in any part of the globe. However, voters’ participation in Nigeria has continued to dwindle, may be due to failure of government and political elites to address social, political, economic and security challenges confronting the nation which Ondo state is not an exception. Existing literature showed that scholars has provide insights into voters’ apathy towards elections but did not comprehensively measured the extent of opinion about factors that influenced voters’ apathy in 2023 governorship election in ondo state Nigeria, underlining the need to reassess the issue. This study therefore assessed the factors that influenced voter apathy in 2020 governorship election in ondo state Nigeria and show extent of opinions. This study is rooted in rational choice theory. Both primary and secondary methods were adopted to gather data. This study found only 27% of registered voters participated in 2020 Ondo state’s Gubernatorial election indicating high apathy and questioning the election's legitimacy. It reveals extent which some factors such as age, education, tribe, political violence, lack of accountability, bad governance, and insufficient election information has influenced apathy was high, while health status, security and monetary inducements were less influential. To address voter apathy, it recommends engaging all age groups, increasing voter education, promoting inclusive policies, improving healthcare, security, strengthening political accountability, enhancing information dissemination and tackling financial barriers to foster higher voters’ participation and stronger democracy in Ondo State, Nigeria.
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The fact that the workability of any political process is largely dependent on the active participation of the masses remains undisputable. Also, the active participation of the masses in any political process is largely dependent on the level of awareness and effective mobilization. Research evidence and critical observations have all pointed to the fact that lack of awareness and effective mobilization of the masses for any political process engender and sustain apathy which ultimately frustrates such political agenda. The paper tried to explore the situation of political apathy in Nigeria and how such apathy could be mitigated by the media. Through intensive review of relevant documents, it was argued that led to critical discourse on the subject of focus of the paper, it was found that lack of education/sanitation of the masses, lack of effective mobilization, the menace of corruption, political violence and consistent military intrusion in governance have fundamentally engendered political apathy in Nigeria. It was also found that the media has the capacity to reduce or ultimately eradicate political apathy by engaging in aggressive sensitization and education of the masses, mobilization of the masses, fighting corruption, correcting political misconceptions and ensuring two-way-communication. Accordingly, the paper advanced a roadmap for the effective utilization of the media not only to change the status quo, but to position Nigeria on the path of political progress as an emerging democracy in Africa.
Sustaining democratic governance is a philosophy hinged largely on the functionality of the institutions of governance in line with democratic process and norms. The study established that virile democratic system is an illusion when a chunk of citizens is less concerned and disinterested in political activities of their country especially when it comes to voting. That is, a carefree attitude by the citizens towards voting is inimical and an aberration to widely celebrated modern democracy. Expectedly, political parties play a crucial role in citizens’ participation in politics, because they are mobilization forces. When political parties stimulate violence then it becomes a problem. The core interest of this study therefore is to investigate the interplay between campaign characters of political parties and low voters turn out in Nigeria. Secondary method of data collection was adopted, as published article, books and relevant reports were captured from the national dailies. This study out found that in Nigeria, political parties are liabilities rather than assets to the Nigerian Democracy, considering their attitude that encourage voters’ apathy. Indeed, failed electoral promises; ideological bareness; electoral violence, high level of indiscipline and unprincipled party defection characterizes Nigeria’s political parties and by implication stimulate among the citizens a mood of pessimism about partisan politics. As the 2019 general elections had been concluded and Nigerians continue to yearn for sustainable democratic governance, political parties should reposition themselves; by being well grounded on ethos and ideology and build confidence and trust in the electorates. Hence, there is a compelling need for Nigerian political parties to be democratic, as democracy is incontrovertibly inconceivable without virile political parties.
This paper analyses the effect of voter apathy on the growth of electoral democracy in Zambia with a focus on Kabwe central constituency. This study was a response to the decline in terms of voter turnout between 1991-2015 general elections in Zambia. This study relied on a mixed approach which combined both qualitative and quantitative research and used key informants for in-depth interviews and questionnaires. The study reveals that there is a positive co-relationship between voting and the growth of electoral democracy since voting promotes citizen participation which is one of the cardinal elements for the growth of electoral democracy. The study further revealed that elections fosters political tolerance and ensures peaceful transfer of power. However a myriad of factors account for voter apathy, these include failure to change leadership, failure to honour campaign promises by candidates who emerge victorious, electoral violence, and religious beliefs, age eligibility, limited voting hours and lack or inadequate voter education. The study concludes that the problem of voter apathy is one of the major threats of any democratic process and it is exacerbated when the election process lacks credibility. The 2016 Zambian General elections were characterized with a lot of irregularities which saw the election results challenged in the Constitutional court by the main opposition political party the United Party for National Development (UPND). The study recommends for an automated biometric voter registration system and that it be a continuous process in order to allow those that would have attained the voting age and relocated to be registered in those areas. The study further recommends the change in the voting system to allow for compulsory voting to everyone with a national registration card as a mechanism to increase levels of voter turnout. The study also recommends reforms to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) in order for it to be an independent, competent, autonomous, and impartial arbiter which can inspire confidence in the electoral process. Finally, voter education should be strengthened and conducted from time to time to empower voters with necessary knowledge and skills about elections.
This research examines the impact of political apathy on electoral participation in Nigeria and South Africa in the 2019 general elections. The paper determined the causes of political apathy, its impact on the electoral process as well as its trend (voter turnout) in the general elections of 2019 in Nigeria and South. This research was borne out of the need to address the increasing rate of political apathy, especially voter turnout in both democratic nations. The research argued that the causes of political apathy, particularly poor voter turnout in the two countries are attributable to political marginalisation, corruption, lack of trust in the electoral process, political violence and militarisation of the electoral system. The research further found that there is no significant difference in the nature and trend of the political apathy (voter turnout) in both countries. The Rational Choice Theory (Downs, 1957) and the Democratic Deprivation Theory (Ebenezer, 2017) were used to theoretically justify the potentials of political apathy in undermining democratic participation. This study used descriptive research design to determine the impact of political apathy on the 2019 national elections in both countries. Trends and nature of political apathy, particularly voter turnout in the two countries were ascertained using secondary data and the analysis was based on content analysis in view of the historical trends and nature of the research. The research concluded that there is an obvious decline in political participation in both countries due to lack of trust in the electoral process, among others, which has largely undermined the interest of the electorate in the political systems of both countries. This research, therefore, recommends that political elite in both countries should be transparent, honest, responsible and responsive in order to encourage voter turnout in both countries at future national elections. A free, fair and credible electoral process, the study also recommended, would help rebuild citizens’ confidence in both countries’ electoral processes.
This article examines the development of psychologically oriented voting behavior research between 1939-1964. It intends to show the psychological basis of the Columbia and Michigan approaches and its implications for the analysis of electoral behavior. It is argued that, in spite of the large differences commonly perceived between these two approaches, there is much similarity between them, both with regard to their psychological roots as to their principal conclusions.
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