POLITICAL PARTIES’ COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND VOTERS’ BEHAVIOUR IN THE 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Political party’s communication strategies played a crucial role in shaping voter behaviour during Nigeria's 2023 presidential election. This study investigated the communication strategies employed by major political parties - the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP) - and their influence on voter behaviour. The research adopted framing theory as its theoretical framework, drawing on Entman's (1993) conceptualisation of how communicators use salience and selection to shape public perception. Data were collected from secondary sources, including academic literature, media reports, and institutional publications, and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings reveal a paradigmatic shift in Nigerian political communication, characterised by the convergence of traditional media engagement, digital and social media campaigns, data analytics and micro￾targeting, negative campaigning, and celebrity endorsements. The Labour Party's ‘Obidient Movement’ distinguished itself through innovative social media strategies that mobilised younger, urban voters around reformist messaging, while the APC leveraged established grassroots networks and traditional media to secure rural support. However, the election was also marred by the pervasive spread of misinformation, hate speech, and ethno-religious appeals, which contributed to voter apathy and fear-driven electoral choices, reflected in a turnout of only 27% of eligible voters. The study concludes that while digital technologies facilitated more substantive issue-oriented discourse, the persistence of divisive identity politics and disinformation undermined electoral integrity. These findings underscore the need for institutional reforms and a fundamental reorientation of political communication culture to strengthen democratic participation and mitigate the negative effects of unethical communication practices in future elections.