INFLUENCE OF POLITICAL ADVERTISING MESSAGES ON THE CHOICE OF GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATES BY THE ELECTORATE IN THE 2022 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examines “the influence of political advertising messages on the choice of governorship candidates by the electorate in Osun State, South West Nigeria, in the 2022 governorship election”. The study sought to ascertain the extent that the electorates in Osun State were exposed to political advertising; which media were the electorates most exposed to in political advertising as well as the extent that political advertising influenced the voting decisions of the electorate. To achieve this, the study used the survey method with the questionnaire as research instrument. Through multi-stage sampling, 120 respondents were chosen in the two of the three senatorial districts in the State and administered the questionnaire. The findings indicated, among other things, that the electorates in Osun State were well exposed to political advertising; that radio was the most effective channel for political advertising; that the respondents were influenced in their choice of candidates to the extent that they perceived such messages to be credible. In the light of these findings, it was concluded that political advertising was an essential factor in the political decisions of the electorates in the State. Similarly, it was recommended that candidates should strive for credibility in their political messages, while the electorates should be critical of all political messages to decipher the truth.