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Ethno-religious Sentiment And Voting Behavior In Nigeria
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1.2. Statement of the research problem
Nigeria has always been a
multi-ethnic and multi-religious State and the diverse ethno-religious
sentiments has always been reflected in her elections, however in the
2015 elections, the effect was more glaring. The results of the 2015
general elections clearly revealed the preponderance of ethno-religious
sentiments as determinants of voting behaviour and political
participation across the country. From the presidential through
gubernatorial, national and state assemblies’ elections, aspirants were
largely chosen on the basis of ethno-regious identities. In the
presidential election, the president and vice president elect received
almost 90 per cent of their votes on the basis of ethno-regious
identity. Similarly, the incumbent president received en masse votes
from his ethno-regious zones.
In addition to being the most
competitive election in Nigeria since independence, the 2015 general
elections were held amid rising tensions on account of terror attacks by
the Boko Haram Insurgent group. Ahead of the elections, there had been
increasing tension between the north and the south due to what the
northerners perceived as their ‘lost opportunity’ to reclaim the
presidency and reverse the continued economic marginalization of their
region. All these factors exacerbated the traditional ethnic, regional,
and religious cleavages that have defined Nigerian politics since
independence. It is based on the above, that this research aims to
examine Ethno-religious sentiment and voting pattern in Nigeria; a case
study of 2015 general elections
1.3. Research Questions
The following are questions the research seeks to answer
a. What is the main cause of Ethno-religious sentiments in Nigeria?
b. How did Ethno-Religious Sentiment determine voting patterns in the 2015 general elections?
c. Was the credibility of the 2015 general election undermined by the sentimental voting patterns?
1.4. Research objectives
The following are the objectives of this study
a. To identify the main cause of ethno-religious sentiments in Nigeria.
b. To examine how Ethno-religious conflict determined voting patterns in the 2015 general elections.
c. To investigate the credibility of the 2015 general election vis-a-vis sentimental voting patterns.
1.5. Research propositions
The following are the research propositions
a. Ethno-Religious politics is the major cause of Ethno-Religious sentiment in Nigeria
b. Ethno-Religious sentiments were responsible for the voting patterns in the 2015 general elections
b. Sentimental voting patterns undermined the credibility of the 2015 general elections
1.6. Significance of the study
This
research studies Ethno-Religious sentiments and its effects on voting
patterns in the 2015 in Nigeria. This study therefore will be
significant in the following ways
Firstly, the research will discover
the reasons for Ethno-Religious sentiment in Nigeria which will
therefore enable the government, and private organization to take steps
to address the issue and foster national unity
Secondly, the research
will also look at the effects if Ethno-religious sentiments on voting
patterns, in the 2015 elections, this will fill in the gaps in existing
literatures as there are not much literatures on this topic.
Finally,
the research will add to the academia and serve as reference point to
further Researchers who will want to investigate issue pertaining to
Ethno-Religious sentiments.
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