Political Parties and Electoral Participation in Nigeria

An Empirical Study of the 2019 General Elections in Okigwe Political Zone of Imo State

Abstract

This study examined political parties and electoral participation in Okigwe Political Zone of Imo State. The objectives being to determine the extent to which Political Parties  discourage electoral participation;  perpetrate fear of insecurity; practice internal democracy; and engage in civic education, using the 2019 general election as a study case. Survey research design was adopted for the study. A total sample size of four hundred (400) persons were randomly selected out of eight hundred and eighty one thousand, eight hundred and ninety (881,890) eligible registered voters in Okigwe political Zone. The research instrument for the study was a structured questionnaire for the registered voters titled, (RVSQ) and complemented with interviews. The data collected was analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies. The study was anchored on the structural functional theory. It was found that low electoral participation was due to the fact that political parties perpetrated fear of insecurity; did not engage in sufficient practice of internal democracy, as well as civic education. Based on the findings, it was recommended that political parties should desist from acts that perpetrate fear of insecurity during elections; they should practice internal democracy, and intensify civic education in schools, churches, mosques and the society at large, as an urgent remedial action to restore peoples’ confidence in the political process.