Political communication and voting pattern of Nigerian electorates: A comparative analysis of the 2011 and 2015 presidential elections.

Abstract

The political history of Nigeria shows that voting pattern at presidential elections reflects ethno-religious inclination. This is evident in almost all the elections starting from the first republic to subsequent ones. Against this background, the study makes a comparative analysis of the 2011 and 2015 presidential elections. The purpose is to determine if there exists significant difference in the voting pattern between the two elections. Population of the study is the 2011 and 2015 presidential elections from which the study purposively selects sample of results of two outstanding contenders. Method of study is quantitative content analysis of results of the two elections as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Findings, which were descriptively presented, show an insignificant difference in the voting pattern as the 2011 presidential election shows a relatively general geographical spread in favour of President Jonathan while the reverse is the case in the 2015 presidential election except that in the 2015 election, President Buhari fails to win any state in the South-South and South-East geo-political zones. The study concludes that the voting pattern has changed insignificantly. Based on findings, the study recommends among other things, the need for electorate to eschew voting based on ethnic and religious sentiments.