CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Media
reporting of events and issues in Nigeria has advanced significantly within the
upsurges of the country’s politics, especially in her processes of elections.
Yet, there seems to be a growing concern on the influence of media reporting in
the past presidential elections and more critically in the 2011 and 2015 presidential
elections. A cursory look at the influence exerted by media reporting around
the world in presidential election processes, strains the importance of
studying the influence of media reporting in aforementioned subject in Nigeria.
Media refers to any means of transmitting information which is done through the
various forms, devices, and systems that make up mass communications considered
as a whole, including newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television
channels, and the internet. Media reporting therefore is the use of these
medium to present news or report events or issues (Danesi, 2009).
Media
reporting is not done in a vacuum, it makes use of linguistic which makes
reporting effective and significant (Allan, 2015) The phonology in writing or
broadcasting an event or an issue has much to do with the understanding or
misunderstanding of the event or issue being reported. Again, the approach or
the attitude in which the written event or broadcast is being released to the
masses affect their understanding of the information passed to them. This in
turn brings to fore the intended goal of the media in their report of such
events and issues under discussion. This can be summed up to be news framing.
McQuail (2010) agrees that framing may activate certain inferences, ideas,
judgments and contrast concerned issues, policies and politicians. The slant
may dictate what readers may likely perceive and how voters may behave after
such perception from the media towards making a political choice.
Voting
behaviour therefore is a political behaviour of choice or preference based on
the information available to the voter (Zahida & Younis, 2014). The plan of
the media is always to sway the masses opinion on a particular issue to achieve
a specific result. No difference is found when it comes to the matter of
politics and the influence language of media reporting approach or attitude of
report exert on voting behaviour. The
influence of media on voters and their conviction towards any candidate as has
been sold to them by the media produces leadership.
As
a matter of fact, leadership has been a source of attraction, estimation,
legend, and myth since the beginning of civilized societies. The Egyptians for
instance had hieroglyphics for leadership, leader, and follower 5000 years ago.
Both Plato and Aristotle were not exempted from this issue as they wrote about
leadership, contemplating on the requirements of the ideal leader in an ideal
state. Many Countries in the world and particularly in the continent of Africa
have experienced leadership ascendency through elections and some through coup
d’état, and the country Nigeria is not an exception in her developmental stages
since October 1, 1960 when she gained her independence. However, democratically
political development in Nigeria has taken a center phase in recent times, this
is affixed on the fact that since May 29, 1999, the country seem to have
maintained a stable democratic dispensation. Nevertheless, one common feature
of recent wave is media reporting influence on voting behavior to leadership
ascendancy. Countries like France, Britain, Sweden, and the USA as examples,
make use of the mass media to educate voters (Udende, 2011). Hence the reason
for their much dependence on the media for information.
Consequently,
the influence of Media reporting on voting behavior to leadership ascendancy in
Nigeria has attracted the interest of scholars, practitioners, political
leaders and observers, Agba (2006); Antoci, Sabatini, and Mauro (2012);
Durante, Brian, and Knight, (2012); Dyck David, and Luigi (2013) Egba, (2003); Egbuna (2011); Gabadebo (2010);
Galadima (2012); Galadima & Enighe
(2001); Sabatini (2012);and Sabatini and Sarracino (2014). The following
scholars, Antoci, Sabatini, and Mauro (2012); Dyck, Moss, and Luigi (2013)
Sabatini,(2012); and Sabatini, and Sarracino (2014) posit that the manner in
which the media (radio, television, newspapers, magazines) report events,
campaigns and information exert influence on voters in their choice of
leadership selection.On the contrary, Alatobi, (2013), Didmus (2009) Okafor
(2014), Zahida and Younis (2014) are of the opinion that other factors apart
from reporting influence voting behavior to leadership ascendancy.
Therefore,
leadership ascendancy is perceived as the action
of leading or directing a group of people or an organization, or the ability to
occupy a position of dominant power or influence or the state of being in
the leading; governing or controlling influence; domination. Within the last
decade, a new surge of leader has risen to positions of official leadership in
Nigeria. Official leadership positions, as defined by Robnett (1996), are those
that are institutionally acknowledged positions inside an organization which
involve essential control over assistants. Skilled political action within a
party earns members the reputation required to raise themselves to positions of
leadership which they do by effectively making use of the media to extend their
influence.
Again,
the media as an institution play a pivotal role in creating awareness and
shaping attitudes in society. Also, the media constitute the real public space
through which citizens understand politics. This role makes the media a veritable
tool to either make or mar any aspirant from winning an election. The media at
times use true facts to draw false conclusions and this is where the media
saying, “if thoughts corrupt language, language can also corrupt
thoughts”(Orwell,2011: 16). This is because different political groups with
their jingles, agenda and public issues attract voters knowingly or unknowingly
and the reporting of the media mold voting behaviour and their opinion. Strong
democracy depends on information and knowledge. It is often said that
information is power and that correct information is vital to clear thinking,
just as clear thinking is vital to making sound judgment. Voters can be
influenced ranging from ethnicity to religious, leading voters to making
certain decisions as regards selection of candidates based on the information
available to them and the manner in which it has been reported.
In
order for any democratic system to flourish, political parties and candidates
are to provide the electorate with satisfactory information on party policies,
unambiguous vision as well as their political agenda to enable electorate
dynamically choose their candidates founded on full evidence. To realize this,
political parties use the media in campaigns. Curran (2005) states that the media
assist voters to make knowledgeable choice at election time. This is done in
form of social media campaigns, paid political advertisments, commentaries and
news stories. For an election to be considered free and fair, electorate must
have adequate knowledge of the candidates, political parties and election
policies
Lately,
political parties and their candidates have come to realize the effectiveness
of advertisements and the role it plays in getting the electorate chose a
particular candidate or party over the other by way of enlightening them. The
manner in which mass media report things has become progressively popular and
is significant to the electoral process and voting behavior because it bridges
the communication gap between political parties, political candidates and electorate.
Hence, political parties and candidates all around the world dedicate a lot of
financial resources to patronize media houses to sell themselves as the
preferred brand to the electorate. Interestingly, the most questions that come
up in elections are concerned with voting behavior and why the electorate voted
for a candidate over the other as well as the implication of their choice. Arguments have ensued among scholars and
communication experts that when politicians crafts their campaign messages as
possible solution to improve voters lives, or something similar and come with
some perceived decent measure of integrity, voters are more likely to believe
them (Feyipitan 2015). In other words, the electorate are most likely to trust
candidates whose political campaigns offer to satisfy their basic needs as
opposed to those who dwell on their personal achievements pending on the way it
is communicated through the media.
Presidential
elections of 2011 and 2015 in Nigeria, witnessed large patronage of various
forms of mass media by political parties and candidates for the singular
purpose of winning electorate votes. At
the end, Goodluck Jonathan who was the candidate of the People Democratic Party
(PDP) won in 2011 and Mohammad Buhari of All Progressive Congress (APC) emerged
as the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2015 respectively. Before the elections, their campaigns filled
media airwaves, social media and billboards with messages for every class of
people who made up the electorate. Their jingles dominated radio and television
stations, social media sites while their messages streamed the print and
outdoor media with promises to deliver.
However, the extent to which media reporting of their campaigns fostered
their winning remains the task of this research. The starring role or sway exerted by the
approach and modus in which the media report events and its weight on voters
behavior has enticed or motivated the interest of many scholars, spectators and
political cream of the crop in Nigeria more especially this research as it
forms the thrust of the entire work.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The media, in all their manifestations,
are instruments to make or mar the attainment to leadership positions,
especially of political aspirants. The vibrant flow of information provided by
the media seems to increase political knowledge, sharpen public debate and push
candidates to make genuine political clichés, and arguably also, the
availability of alternative sources of information gives life to political
competition. The more sources of information available, the greater the
public’s knowledge, and this role is performed by the media.
Akeke,
Akeke and Awolusi(2015) observed that the purpose of the media is for political
communication.Propaganda in politics was the problem that drew the researchers’
attention to this study, on how wrong or false information is disseminated by
the media to make or mar a presidential candidate from attaining a leadership
position. Irrespective of the fact that the media creates awareness, majority
of the populace and even voters lack basic knowledge about the entire political
process, and may take unreasonable decisions on election matters particularly. Slant,
language, frequency, interest and bias of reportage which the media chooses may
have negative or positive influence on voting behaviour and consequently on
leadership ascendancy which in the negative leads to electoral violence. About
1000 people lost their lives in the 2011 Presidential elections (Olukotun
2014). Also Prior to the presidential election of March 28, 2015, there were a
lot of trepidation about the elections turning violent because of previous
experiences of some politicians seeing the election as a do-or-die issue,
fighting dirty with half-truths, outright lies and bitter words.
Hence the two major contestants Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan and Muhammad Buhari along with other party leaders first signed
what has now come to be known as the Abuja Accord on January 14, 2015. It was
adopted first through acclamation and then signed by all candidates present.
For
purpose of clarity, the Accord binds the candidates on covenants: To run
issue-based campaigns at all level, shorn and devoid of religious incitement
and ethnic or tribal profiting. To avoid making inflammatory or inciting
statements and declarations capable of stoking the fire of violence and unrest
before, during or after the election. To denounce publicly provocative
utterances and oppose all acts of electoral violence whether perpetrated by
supporters and/or opponents. To commit themselves and their parties to the
monitoring of the adherence to the accord if necessary, by a national peace
committee composed of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious
leaders. All the institutions of the government including INEC and security
agencies must act and be seen to act with impartiality. They apparently agreed for themselves and on behalf of their supporters
that there will be peace before, during and after the elections whether they
win or lose. They agreed, among other thing, to run an issue-based
campaign and vowed that their electoral campaigns will not involve any
religious provocation, ethnic or tribal profiling, both by themselves and all
agents acting on their behalf. It was again renewed on Thursday March, 26,
2015, 48 hours to the election. This dread may not be unconnected with the fact
that in 2011, around 1000 people were killed in violence after President
Goodluck defeated President Buhari (Olukotun 2014).
According to Towolawi (2015), ‘nothing
fuels electoral violence as base, sentimental campaign dimensioned on primitive
and primordial inclinations with no bearing on agenda, ideology, peoples’
welfare, governance, and development. Our politicians must shun puerile
mudslinging and needless character assassination to further political agenda’.
The influence of media on Nigerians especially during the 2011 and 2015
presidential elections sequel to voting behaviour is worthy of study. Television
broadcasts and newspaper stories are the important source of information about
the conduct of government and politicians, clearly indicating how important it
is to study media influence. George and Waldfogel (2006), Della, Vigna and
Kaplan (2007) assert that media sources may influence the public not only by
choosing the slant of a particular report, but also merely by choosing what to
report. This study therefore examined the influence of media reporting on
voting behavior and leadership ascendancy during the 2011, and 2015 presidential
elections in Nigeria. 1.3 Objective of the Study
MEDIA REPORTING, VOTING BEHAVIOUR AND LEADERSHIP ASCENDANCY DURING 2011 AND 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA
