Voter Apathy and Local Government Election in Nigeria: A Case of Ondo State, Nigeria

Voter Apathy and Local Government Election in Nigeria: A Case of Ondo State, Nigeria

Fapetu, Victor Damilola¹, Saka-Olokungboye, Nurudeen^2*, Olateru-Olagbegi, Olaleke³, Ilugbami, Joseph Olanrewaju⁴

¹Department of Public Administration,

¹Department of Social Sciences,

¹Department of Social Development

^1,2,3,4 Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, P.M.B 1019, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.8110077

Received: 22 October 2024; Accepted: 30 October 2024; Published: 04 December 2024

ABSTRACT

In recent years, voters turnout in local government election in many states in Nigeria have been generally low. In spite of the fact that it is the closest level of government to the people, political participation among voters in terms of voting has not be encouraging. This has culminated into poor service delivery, lack of motivation for politicians to develop policies at the local level, imposition of candidates, among others. Ondo state, one of the 36 states in Nigeria, has witnessed low turnout of voters’ participation in local government election. While there are theoretical and empirical studies on low participation of voters in local government election in Nigeria, only a few studies have been conducted in Ondo State. The study, therefore examined voter apathy and local government election in Ondo state. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques of research methods were used to analyze and interpret data for the study. The study employed stratified random sampling techniques to select three hundred respondents for the survey and purposive sampling to select one hundred and twenty participants for the Focus Group Discussions. Structured questionnaire and Focus Group Discussion were used to collect primary data from the respondents. Data collected from the survey were analyzed using frequency count and simple percentage as descriptive statistics, while data elicited from Focus Group Discussion were subjected to content analysis whereby information was assembled, analysed and was used to complement the analysis of the survey. Findings of the study revealed poor service delivery by local government, imposition, lack of credible candidates and poor organization of the State Electoral Commission as factors contributing to voter apathy in local government election in Ondo State. The study therefore recommended local government autonomy, strengthening of local government in area of service delivery, and enactment of National Independent Electoral Body to oversee the conduct of elections into loca government areas, among others.

Keywords: Election, Imposition of candidate, Local Government, and Voter apathy

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

In recent years, voter turnout in local government election in Nigeria has continued to gradually decline and is generally low in many of the federation’s states. Elections in democracies play a crucial role in ensuring the representation of the popular will and, as a result, help to secure the legitimacy of the political system, according to INEC and FES (2011, p. 7). There can never be a genuine elections that reflect the preferences of the people but only those of a minority, when elections are held in local government without a sufficient voters turnout. Asani, Adie, Oke, Otun, Lukman, Odetola, Olatunji & Ajibike (2011, p. 3) define local government arrangement as the division of a nation into smaller units or localities for administrative purposes. Through their elected representatives, who carry out duties or exercise authority under the overall control of the national government, the citizens of the various units or localities involved participate directly and fully. In addition to being the level of government that is closest to the general populace, local governments allow for direct or indirect voter participation in issues that affect them. According to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s (Section 7, 7 (11)), local government serves as the cornerstone of national politics. In a broader sense, people’s active engagement in local government politics serves as a foundation for the advancement of democracy. The appointment of qualified people serves as a sanctioning mechanism that encourages elected officials to act in the interests of the general populace and reflects the voting behaviour of the majority of voters (Uchenna, Okeke & Idike, 2013, p. 439; Adeyemi & Salawudeen, 2020, p. 80; Aliyu, Mohammed & Bello, 2020, p. 699).

Voting is the most significant and well-known way that people participate in politics, and it serves as a barometer to assess democratic performance at the grassroots level. As a result, it is concerning that despite the importance of local governments in the delivery of the most crucial public services, including transportation, sanitation, environment, and utilities, elections at the local government level have been marked by a lack of feeling of personal responsibility, emotional detachment from civil obligations, abstention from political activity, and indifference to political affairs by the electorates, which could be viewed as apathy given the crucial role local government played in providing these services to the people (Uchenna et al., 2013, p, 439 – 440; INEC & FES, 2011, p. 7). Evidence from state electoral bodies across the nation indicates that local government election voter turnout is continuously declining (Aliyu et al., 2020, p. 699). This pattern has compelled politicians who are eager to win over the few grassroots supporters to engage in vote-buying (Adeyemi & Salawudeen, 2020; p. 79). In Nigeria, the low voter turnout in local government elections has contributed to poor service delivery, a lack of motivation among politicians to create policies, and a lack of grassroots voter protection (Wojtasik, 2013; Agaibe, 2019; Abdullahi & Arabo, 2023; Nwambuko, Njoku & Omium, 2024; Ugbaju & Onyemaobi, 2023).

Statement of Research Problem

Voting in elections and other forms of political participation are essential to guaranteeing the representation of popular opinion and supporting the legitimacy of the political system. In essence, the number of votes cast in free, fair, credible, and acceptable elections gives the government its authority and legitimacy in the eyes of the electorate (Aliyu et al., 2020, p. 699). Elections may be viewed as a means of punishing elected officials by holding them to the prospect of not being re-elected by the general public. A means of ensuring that qualified people are chosen for public office, and as a result, elected officials become accountable to and for the people and act in their best interests (Adeniyi & Olabisi, 2020; p. 80). Given the aforementioned claim, it is alarming how few people participate in voting processes, which are crucial to political participation, particularly at the local government level. In a similar vein, it is surprising that, despite the existence of local government in a location where elections are held as and when necessary, allowing citizens to participate directly or indirectly in issues that affect them, voter participation in local government political activities has not been encouraging. Majority of Nigerians still exhibit a lack of interest in local political activities despite the government’s efforts to ensure full participation and involvement of citizens in local government affairs and governance, which constitute one of the main goal of representative government at the grassroots. The poor service delivery, lack of motivation for politicians to develop policies, protect the interests of the electorate, and the imposition of candidates on the populace by local power brokers can all be attributed in part to the lack of political engagement among Nigerians at the local government level. Voter turnout is something that should worry a country that cries out for good governance, lasting democracy, and efficient service delivery, especially at the local level.

Many studies (Aliyu et al., 2020; Adeyemi & Salawudeen, 2020; Uchenna et al., 2013) have been done on voter apathy and local government elections in Nigeria. However, in the context of Ondo State, Nigeria, the issue has not been adequately explored. In the light of the above, this research attempts to address this knowledge gap by examining voter apathy and local government elections particularly in Ondo State, Nigeria. The research aims at suggesting ways to overcome the problem.

Objectives of the Study

The major objective of the study is to examine voter apathy in local government elections in Ondo State. The specific objectives are to;

1. Explore the causes of voter apathy among electorates during local government elections in Ondo State.
2. Assess the effects of voter apathy on the administration of local government in Ondo State.
3. Examine the effects of voter apathy on provision of basic amenities in local governments in Ondo State.
4. Evaluate the influences of party affiliations and socio-economic status on voter apathy in local government elections in Ondo State.

Research Questions

In clear terms the research questions for this study are as follows;

i. What are the causes of voter apathy among electorates during local government elections in Ondo State?
ii. What are the effects of voter apathy on the administration of local government in Ondo State?
iii. What are the effects of voter apathy on provision of basic amenities by local governments in Ondo State?
iv. What influences does party affiliations and socio-economic status have on voter apathy during local governments election in Ondo State?

Theoretical Framework

The study adopted Frustration-Aggression Theory. It is a social psychological model used to examine how people behave. The Frustration-Aggression Theory has been applied in psychology in a variety of contexts, ranging from developmental psychology to self-regulation (Harrison, Genders, Davies, Treasure & Tehanturia, 2011) and imitation learning (Hanrathy, O’Neal & Sulzer, 1972). The theory for this study focuses on explaining human aggression and irritability as risk factors encouraging the withdrawal of an anticipated reinforcement.

Dollard, Miller, Doob, Mowrer and Sears (1939) observed that the occurrence of aggressive behaviour always presupposes the existence of frustration and, conversely, that the existence of frustration always leads to some forms of aggression. The main point of their assertion is that frustration is an interference with the occurrence of an instigated goal-response rather than an emotional experience. The emergence or escalation of prejudice can be caused by the failure to achieve an instigated goal response (Grossarth-maticek, Eysenck & Vetter, 1989).

Pastore (1950, p. 279) outlined how the subject’s perception of the situation affects whether or not the aggressive reaction to frustration occurs. People are bound to act aggressive, when they are aware of what is at stake in terms of what is expected from the goal response. Amsel (1962; 1992) argued that when an expected reward is scaled back, put off, or eliminated entirely, frustration results. In a similar vein, frustration was defined as the absence of the desired reinforce (Hanrathy, O’Neal & Sulzer, 1972, p. 31). Brown and Farber (1951) observed that two conditions must be met in order for an event to be considered frustrating. The goal must be significant or pertinent to the subject, and the subject must believe that the goal will be achieved. This was further emphasised by Lazarus (1991) who argues that for a goal to elicit negative affect when it is prevented from being achieved, it must be personally significant. Haner and Brown (1955, p. 206) discovered that the distance between the point of frustration and the goal will influence the aggression that results. This specifically means that a person’s aggressive inclinations will be affected by frustration more strongly the closer they are to achieving a goal (Harris, 1974).

Viewing this theory in the context of voter apathy, it is observed that electorates participate in elections in order to choose candidates who will owe the people a duty to provide basic amenities that will improve their living conditions. A functioning government that reflects the preferences of the majority of the population depends on citizen participation in the political process. There are high hopes and expectations that the government will be able to meet the citizens’ basic needs because elections are seen as agents of change and voting is a key way for the public to hold governments accountable. The achievement of such a goal is personally important to electorates, and when governments fall short of what the public expects, frustration sets in and an anticipated reinforcer is withdrawn (lack of trust in government leading to vote apathy). In situation where the expectation of the people are not being met by those in power, frustration may occasionally turn to violence in the form of disruption and the destruction of election materials. However, the most likely scenario is that people’s frustration are expressed through voters apathy during elections. Studies (Adeyemi & Salawudeen, 2020, p. 79; Aliyu et al., 2020; p. 699) have showed that, despite a recent rise in the number of registered voters in Nigeria, the actual number of electorates participating in election has continued to decline. This has been attributed to the failure of government to live up to citizen’s expectation (Uchenna et al., 2013, p. 444) which has resulted to voter apathy.

Study Area and Method

The study was conducted in Ondo State, Nigeria. The State was created from the defunct Western Region on 3rd of February, 1976 with administrative capital in Akure. Ondo state is located in South-Western geo-political zone of Nigeria. It is bounded on the East by Edo and Delta States, on the West by Ogun and Osun States, on the North by Ekiti and Kogi States (Alonge, Lawal & Akindiyo, 2021). The people of the state are predominately Yoruba extraction of Akoko, Akure, Ikale, Ilaje, Ondo, Owo, Ose and minority Ijaw people living along the riverine area of the State.

The sample size for the study consists of three hundred (300) respondents adult within the voting age range of 18-49years. The selection of the sample was on the basis of fifty (50) respondents per six (6) towns. The selection of fifty (50) respondents in the six (6) towns was done using multistage sampling technique based on the senatorial district in the state. Ondo State is divided into three senatorial districts namely Ondo Central, North and South. Each senatorial district consists of six (6) local government areas. In the first stage, two local governments were randomly selected from each senatorial district, in the second stage; a town was systematically selected from each of the local government. In the last stage fifty respondents from each town were systematically selected for participation in the survey. In other words, fifty respondents from each of the two towns in each senatorial district. This resulted in a total sample of three hundred (300) for the study. The study used mixed methods of data collection – Quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative aspect of the study was done by using structured questionnaire to collect responses from participants. For the qualitative method, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted for selected participants within the voting age of 18 years above. In all, twelve (12) Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were held for selected participants. Data analysis was done using Statistical Packages for the Social Scientist (SPSS). This involves largely the generation of simple percentage and used of thematic analysis with extract of verbatim responses from some of the study respondents.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Socio-Demographic Distribution of Respondents

The socio-demographic distribution of the sampled respondents (Table 1) indicates that the total number of participants was 300, constituting of 158 (52.7%) males and 142 (47.3%) females. Thus, the views being expressed in the study are representative of both male and female with the male respondents in majority. The results also reveals that the majority of respondents (28%) were between the ages 31-40years and 51years and above. Similarly, 20.7% of respondents were age 41-50years of age, 14% of respondents were 26-30years of age, and 9.3% were aged 18-25years. This implies that all participants in this study were above the constitutionally approved voting age. Giving these characteristics, they are expected to have participated in electioneering process to understand the central theme of this investigation, and to make meaningful contributions, accordingly. The education status of the respondents indicates that 18.7% had primary/secondary school certificate, 34.7% had National Diploma/National Certificate in Education. In like manner, 33.3% were holders of either Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and 13.4% respondents had other certificates. The educational distribution of respondents implies that most participants in the study were of average education status, and were schooled enough to respond to the questions and give valid opinion on voter apathy and local government elections in Ondo State.

In term of occupational status of respondents, civil/public servants accounts (33.3%) accounts for the highest percentage. Farming/Trading, Artisan and Politicians account for 18.7%, 17.3% and 17.3% respectively. Students constituting 40 (13.3%) were the least in the occupation distribution statistics. Accordingly, it is clear that the study cut across large segments, and a variety of occupational areas were also considered. This is important in obtaining a balance and unbiased view from respondents on the subject matter of study. The result on the religious affiliation of the respondents shows 175 (58.3%) were Christians, 125 (41.7%) practiced Islam.

Table 1: Socio-Demographic Distribution of Respondents

Source: Field Survey, 2024.

Research Question 1: What are the causes of voter apathy among electorates during local government elections in Ondo State?

Table 2: Analysis Showing the Causes of voter apathy among electorates during local government elections in Ondo State

Source: Field Survey, 2024.

Table 2 above shows that the reasons why voters apathy occurred during local government elections in Ondo State is majorly because of pronounced rigging and snatching of ballot boxes and lack of transparency. This is because 78.67% and 74.66% respectively of respondents agreed to the opinion. This therefore reflects the general perception of why voters stayed away from local government elections. The pronounced rigging and snatching of ballot boxes during local government elections has been a recurring issue in Nigeria. This was corroborated by one of the participants during the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) when he said that:

I cannot remember the last time I voted in local government elections because of the bad experience I had in 2006. We were on the queue waiting to vote when suddenly political thugs unleashed terror and violence. People were dispersed while the ballot boxes were taken away. I sustained injury on my right ankle on that day. In spite of that, a candidate was still declared as winner of the election. Since then, I never participated in local government elections. (Male/FGD/May 18, 2024).

Another participant in another Focus Group Discussion Sessions said that:

People don’t participate in local government elections because the process is not transparent. Most of the aspirants that are contesting for positions in local government were handpicked by the Governors and political leaders. They are not the true representative of the people. Because of that many people stay away from the election (Male/FGD/May 22, 2024).

Also a participant in one of the Focus Group Discussions replied thus:

I don’t vote in local government elections because the process is not transparent. Opposition candidates cannot win regardless of how popular he/she is. The process has been hijacked by State Independent Electoral Commission for political leaders. That is why you see that APC will clear elections in where the State Governor is APC and PDP will also win where the Governor is PDP. So, why will I waste my time when the whole process has been programmed to deliver results to a particular party? (Female/FGD/June 4, 2024).

Research Question 2: What are the effects of voter apathy on the administration of local government in Ondo State?

Table 3: Analysis showing the Effects of Voter Apathy on the Administration of local Government in Ondo State.

Source: Field Survey, 2024.

Table 3 above has succinctly captured the effects of voter apathy on the administration of local government. The data shows that commonest effects was that it does not enhances political accountability (52%), next is that it promotes low political participation (46.33%) while breeding of inefficiency and mal-administration; non-adherence to the rule of law and aiding of imposition of candidates at local levels have 38.0%, 40.67% and 38.0% respectively. It is therefore convenient to conclude that voter apathy encourages corruption and inefficiency and mal-administration at local levels. The statement is affirmed from the summary of discussion engaged with some participants during the Focus Group Discussion. One of the participants put in his thought when he said:

Hardly will you see any local government chairman doing something tangible for the people again. They don’t care about the people but people that put them in that position and their pockets. They are no longer responsible to the people and they don’t ever care to give account of their stewardship because of the manner they emerged. (Female/FGD/May 21, 2024).

Another participant opined that:

Local governments in Nigeria, Ondo State inclusive, have been paralyzed in terms of delivery of dividend of democracy to the people as a result of voter apathy. Since people do not participate in local government election like the state and federal elections, nobody cares about what happens in local government again. Local government staff just go there to collect salaries without doing nothing while elected local government officials are not accountable to the people since they are not elected by the majority of the electorates (Male/FGD/May 21, 2024).

Research Question 3: What are the effects of voter apathy on provision of basic amenities in local governments in Ondo State?

Table 4: Analysis Showing the Effects of voter apathy on the provision of basic amenities in Local Governments in Ondo State.

Source: Field Survey, 2024.

Table 4 above indicated that majority of the respondents (42.67%) agreed to the opinion that local government officials do not fulfill their promises made during electioneering period but another 35.33% agreed that mass participation of voters during local government election enhance quality of representation and service delivery to the people. 14.67% of the respondents do not agreed that elected local government officials has provided social amenities in rural areas while 26.0% believed that voter apathy enhanced appointment of inefficient and bad political leaders at the local levels. The aforementioned data shows that voter apathy has a negative dimension on the provision of basic amenities at the local levels

This statement is verified and validated in the view of one participant during the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) session when she said:

There is a dearth of social amenities at the local level. No good road, no portable drinking water and functional health centres. This is because the people there as chairmen and counselors are not true representatives of the people. Therefore, they are not responsible to the people. Go to local government areas in Ondo State, most of the chairmen don’t even live among the people but in Akure, the state capital. They don’t care to provide little amenities to the people because nobody voted them in as chairmen or councilors. (Female/FGD/May 26, 2024).

But another participant in one of the Focus Group Discussions has a contrary view when he argued that:

I don’t blame local government chairmen that don’t perform in office. It is our people that cause it. During elections people do not come out to vote because of one reason or the others. The few people that vote during local government elections always collect money from politicians before they will vote. Therefore, for someone that pays through his/her nose to emerge as local government chairman, are you saying such person should not recoup his/her money use to buy vote? Before we can talk about local government chairmen not providing social amenities at local levels, we must first of all, address the issue of vote buying (Male/FGD/May 26, 2024).

Research Question 4: What are the influences of political party affiliation and socio-economic status on voter apathy during local government elections in Ondo State?

Table 5: Analysis Showing the Influences of political party affiliation and socio-economic status on voter apathy on local government elections in Ondo State.

Source: Field Survey, 2024.

In Table 5 above, the data shows the influences of political party affiliation and social-economic status on voter apathy. 48% of the respondents agreed that gifts and political patronage is a major booster to participate in local government elections in Ondo State. The data also shows that highly educated people do not participate in local government elections (42.67%) while monetary inducement (23.67%) and ruling political party members participated majorly during local government elections than opposition parties (35.33%) are other factors influencing voter apathy in local government elections in Ono State. This reflects that many voters participated in elections in Nigeria because of financial inducement. This therefore reflects the general perception of the people during local government elections. This data was further corroborated by views of participants during the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) sessions.

A participant said that:

I cannot go and queue inside the sun to vote during elections without collecting something. These people immediately they get to power they will easily forget people that support them. So, I cannot vote without collecting something to compensate for my stress (Male/FGD/May 27, 2024).

Another participant expressed her feeling as thus:

I can only vote for a party that will give me something in return. During electioneering process, we go to nooks and crannies of every town and village to campaign for political parties, sometime on empty stomach. But most of them will not even remember you when they get to power. The best time to collect whatever you want from them is during elections (Female/FGD/May 27, 2024).

Another participant has this to say:

Opposition parties do not participate in local government elections because they know that they cannot win. The ruling party at the state level controls the State Independent Electoral Commission with their people. So it is difficult for opposition parties to win local government election. I don’t know about big States like Lagos, Kano or River States, but in a State like Ondo State, it is not possible for opposition parties to win. That is the reason that during local government elections, the people that majorly vote are members of the ruling party (Female/FGD/May 27, 2024).

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The findings of this study have indicated that voter apathy is inimical to the development and growth of local government as third tiers of government in Nigeria. The reasons adduced as causes of voter’s apathy in local government elections in Ondo State, corroborated the findings of Aliyu et al., (2020) as why turnout has continuously declining in local government elections across Nigeria. The data showed that voter apathy breeds inefficiency and mal-administration at the local levels which ultimately lead to poor service delivery to the people. The findings is consistent with Abdullahi and Arabo (2023); Nwambuko et al., (2024); Ugbagu and Onyemaobi (2023) on why local governments across the nation has expressed poor service delivery. The study also showed that it is only members of the ruling political party that majorly participated during local government elections while other electorates displayed lack of feeling of personal responsibility. This finding is consistent with Uchenna et al., (2013) that abstention from political activity and lack of feeling of personal responsibility during elections are viewed as apathy. The study further showed inducement as motivating factor for electorates to participate in elections in Nigeria. The problem of vote buying and selling has become a reoccurring problem in Nigeria’s democracy and efforts to tame the practice has not achieved desired result. The findings of the study is therefore in agreement with Adeyemi and Salawudeen (2020) that voter apathy creates opportunity for politicians to engage in vote buying in other to win over few people that participated in local government elections.

CONCLUSION

The study sets out to examine voter apathy and local government elections in Ondo State, Nigeria. It intends to examine how voter apathy has contributed to the non-provision of social amenities and mal-administration in local governments in area of service delivery. The findings revealed that pronounced rigging and snatching of ballot boxes, lack of transparency in electoral process, inefficiency and mal-administration, inability of elected local government officials to fulfil their campaign promises, are factors encouraging voter apathy at the local levels which are all inimical to the growths and development of local government system in Nigeria.

This study concludes that if adequate measures to address the gradual declining of voters participation in local government elections are not urgently taken, provision of basic social amenities to people at the grassroots will become very difficult and it will lead to rural-urban migration that will further compound problem of congestion in cities, given the crucial role local governments play in providing essential services at the grassroots.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Voter apathy during local government elections has rendered administration and provision of social amenities for the people at the grassroots by elected local government officials comatose. Therefore, to effectively tackle this phenomenon, the study recommends that full autonomy be granted local government in Nigeria. This will enable credible people be elected by the people to run their affairs and cater for their welfare. Also, National Assembly should enacts a Law to set up on independent electoral body to oversee the conduct of elections into local government areas. This will prevent imposition of candidates on the people by ruling political parties and will guarantee political participation of people during local government election. Finally, Law enforcement agents be adequately strengthened with punitive laws to address voter buying and selling during local government elections.

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