The objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of ethnicity on the
outcome of the 2015 presidential election in Nigeria. In order to achieve
this, the descriptive-statistical analysis of the official election results
released by the country’s Election Management Body (INEC) as well as a
historical analysis of past presidential elections in Nigeria was adopted.
The findings revealed that the major contestants received bloc votes from
their various states and geo-political zones. This indicated that candidates
appealed to ethnic sentiments to garner votes. The policy implication of
this scenario includes the fact that ethnic bloc voting destroys inter-ethnic
accommodation and efforts at nation building. It is, however, recommended
that efforts should be intensified towards providing a compelling statutory
set of principles for nation building and national integration which will
in turn guarantee the peaceful co-existence for people of diverse ethnic
backgrounds.