A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND MUHAMMADU BUHARIS BILLBOARD CAMPAIGNS ON VOTERS BEHAVIOUR IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study examines the influence of Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buharis billboard campaigns on voters behavior in Anambra state. The study sought to ascertain if the electorates voting decision were influenced by their exposure to billboard adverts on Jonathan and Buhari, to find out which of the billboards message content the respondents recall more than the other, to determine which of the billboards the respondents prefer; as well as to ascertain the electorates level of exposure to the billboard used in the 2015 presidential elections by Jonathan and Buhari and to determine whether there is a significant relationship between exposure to preferred billboard adverts and respondents choice of candidate in the election. To achieve this, the study used the survey method with the questionnaire as research instrument. Through multi-stage and purposive sampling, 384 respondents were selected from three senatorial zones in Anambra state and administered the questionnaire. The findings indicated among other things, that voters in Anambra were significantly influenced by their exposure to these billboards and most of them recalled the message contents of Jonathan more than that of Buhari. The study found out that electorates in Anambra state prefer Jonathans campaign billboard to that of Buhari and there is no significant relationship between exposure to preferred billboard advert and choice of candidate. In the light of the findings, it was recommended that voters should not rely on billboard advert as it only source of information about contestants. They should explore other sources such as radio, television and social media. The study also recommended that a lot should be done to maximize the potentials of billboard campaign for favourable voting decision.