In recent times, the use of political ad campaigns has become increasingly
popular, as was evident in the 2015 gubernatorial elections in Lagos State.
Advert campaigns of several candidates filled the media, which seemed to be a
clear distinction from election campaigns in the past, in which the focus was
mainly on political rallies and speeches. This led me to seek to understand
the effectiveness of political ad campaigns in shaping the voting behaviour
of Nigerian voters. Specifically, I examined political ad campaigns of the All
Progressive Congress gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, Akinwunmi
Ambode. A field survey of eligible voters in Lagos State was carried out to
further ascertain the efficacy of political ad campaigns on the electorate.
From the field survey, results were collated, analysed and summarised using
frequency tables. Findings from the study showed that political ad campaigns
do not have a strong effect on the electorate’s voting behaviour but still play a
role in the electoral process. I concluded that political candidates and parties
should concentrate on other election campaign strategies. I also recommend
that further studies be conducted to better understand other factors that
influence voting behaviour.
Political Advert Campaigns and Voting Behaviour: Akinwunmi Ambode’s 2015 Election Campaign in Lagos State
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Journal of African Elections