The Politics of Religion and 2023 Presidential Election in Nigeria

Student: Oowo Victoria Amuh (Project, 2025)
Department of Political Science
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State

Abstract

ThePoliticsofReligionplayedasignificantroleintheNigeria’s2023Presidentialelection.Thisprojectexaminestheimpactofreligiononthe2023PresidentialelectioninNigeriawithafocusontherulingAllProgressiveCongress(APC)andtheroleofkeypoliticalfiguressuchasBolaTinubu.Theresearchquestionsguidingthisprojectare;(I)HastheAPCsamefaithpresidentialticketunderminedpoliticalparticipationinNigeria?(ii)Hastheethno-religiouscharacteroftherulingclassunderminednationalintegrationinNigeria?ThisresearchprojecthastheobjectiveofexaminingiftheAPCsamefaithpresidentialticketunderminedpoliticalparticipationandiftheethno-religiouscharacteroftherulingclassunderminednationalintegrationinNigeria.Fromthemyriadsofresearchcarriedout,thefirsthypothesisposesthattheAPCsamefaithpresidentialtickethasnotunderminedpoliticalparticipation andthesecondhypothesisposesthattheethno-religiouscharacteroftherulingclasshasindeedunderminenationalintegrationinNigeria.TheRationalChoiceTheorypropoundedbyAnthonyDowns(1957)wasemployedinthisstudy.TheRationalChoiceTheoryseekstoexplainindividual'sandcollectivedecisionmakingprocessbasedontheassumptionthatindividualsarerationalactorswhomakechoicestomaximizetheirself-interestorutility.Itisonthisbasisthatthestudyrecommendsthat;Toreducetheconstitutionaldefinitionandinterpretationofissueslinkedtobalancerepresentationandareeasilysusceptibletothemanipulationbythepoliticians,theprincipleshouldbemadeJusticiableintheconstitutiontoallowthoseaggrievedtoseekjudicialredressandalso,theprincipleandpolicyofequitablepowersharingshouldbedeepenedatalllevelsofgovernmentandshouldnotbeamereconstitutionalprominent.Theexpost-factorresearchdesignwasadoptedinthisresearchworkwhilethedocumentarymethodofdatacollectionwasadoptedandthequalitativemethodofdataanalysiswasused.

Keywords
politics religion presidential election nigeria
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