Abstracto

Revisiting political advertising campaign strategies in the april 2007 gubernatorial election in lagos state

Omoye Mary Akhagba

Throughout history, politicians have used various methods, such as speeches, political advertising and political rallies, to achieve their ?primary goal, the winning of votes?. However, over the years, politicians have found that it is most advantageous to use political communication to persuade voters. This study examined the influence of political advertising in the electoral process in Nigeria. The gubernatorial elections in Lagos state witnessed one of the heaviest use of political advertisements campaign, rallies and debates by political candidates. The influence of political advertising during election campaign periods has been said to be very significant. Thus, this study measured the degree to which political advertising influences voting during election. In a way of objectivity in this study, survey method was adopted to measure the influence of political advertising on the voting choice of the electorates. Two hundred samples from four different local government areas LGA in Lagos state i.e. Ikeja, Surulere, Alimosho and Lagos Island were scientifically selected. The study found out that political advertising influenced the voting choice of the electorates as most of the respondents opined that the political advertisements informed them about the candidate they voted for. Furthermore, other factors such as the educational background, gender, and tribe of the political candidates also played a significant role in their voting decision