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Abstract
Political participation is synonymous with democracy given that democracy is the collective participation of the people of a given state. Thus, when people are not actively participation in the electoral process or governance process of their state, democracy is bound to suffer. It is within this context that political participation regarded as not just an aggregate participation of free people, but it is an activity that has some definite goals. It is an activity that has the intention of influencing an action of government — either directly or indirectly influencing the making or implementation of government policies, or indirectly influencing the selection of those that will make the policies. Unfortunately, since independence of 1960, political participation in Nigeria has been on a decline. It reached its lowest ebb in the 2023 general elections. This study examined the impact of political participation on electoral process during the 2023 general election in Edo State. The study utilized questionnaire to elicit responses from a randomly selected 400 respondents from Oredo Local Government Area (LGA) in Edo State. The study utilized system theory to examine the context of declining political participation and electoral process in Edo State and Nigeria. Four set of research questions were interrogated: What was voter’s turnout and credibility of 2023 general election in Edo State? What were the patterns of voting and election results in 2023 general elections in Edo State? What was the influence of vote buying on political participation and electoral violence in 2023 general election in Edo State” What solutions can be recommended to curb poor political participation and electoral process in Edo State and Nigeria? The study found that there was no connection between voter’s turnout and credibility of 2023 general election in Edo State; people voted according to political party affiliation, personality of candidates, religion and ethnicity; and while there was widespread vote buying, it did not hinder political participation but unleashed electoral violence in Edo State. The study therefore recommended, among others, that critical stakeholders such as the government, media, political parties, civil society organizations, religious organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, traditional institutions and educational institutions should be involved in educating the Nigerian citizens on the need to be involved in the politics of their country; all tiers of government ought to guarantee that those who commit electoral offences prior to, during, and following the elections are apprehended and brought before a court of law; and there is need for all stakeholders to strictly adhere to the guidelines stipulated in the Electoral Act 2022 on the credibility of elections in Nigeria.
