Voters’ Behaviour and Traditional Rulership Institution in Nigeria’s 2023 General Elections: A Study of Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State

Abstract

Nigeria has held elections in a variety of settings since her independence in 1960, and it aspires to improve on previous elections and the campaigning process. The selection and development of candidates for office are significantly influenced by traditional leaders and their followers. During election campaigns, political candidates go to the palaces of traditional monarchs to ask for their approval and support. This happens in various parts of Nigeria during elections for state and local offices as well as the presidency, when candidates visit first-class traditional rulers in all 36 states of the nation as their first stop before launching their campaigns in those states. This has now become the norm in Nigeria's modern politics. The study examines the impact of traditional rulership institutions on the behaviour of voters in Baruten Local Government in the 2023 general elections in Kwara State. It aims to determine the extent to which traditional rulers influence the choice of electorates in the Baruten Local Government area of Kwara State. To achieve the main objective, the research used mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) and data were generated from primary and secondary sources. The population size of this work covered the four main districts in the local government namely, Gwanara, Ilesha-baruba, Okuta, and Yashikira respectively. In selecting the sampling size for this study, the Taro Yamane formula was adopted. According to the study's results, 87% of participants voted during the 2023 elections; additionally, research showed that traditional monarchs have a momentous impact on their citizens. The study concluded that traditional rulers enjoy a high level of respect and credibility among their subjects and can mobilize their subjects to vote for a certain political candidate