THE IMPACT OF CIVIC EDUCATION ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION A CASE STUDY OF 2019 GENERAL ELECTION IN GADA LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF SOKOTO STATE

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THE IMPACT OF CIVIC EDUCATION ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION A CASE STUDY OF 2019 GENERAL ELECTION IN GADA LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF SOKOTO STATE

ABSTRACT

The study was the impact of civic education on political participation: A case study of 2019 general election in Gada Local Government of Sokoto State. The 2019 general elections characterize free, fair and credible even though there were some states with violence, before, during and after the election. Civic education, therefore, played a role for the sustenance of democratic governance. It is imperative that educators, masses, politicians, policy makers and members of civil society worked by the case for civic education for all segments of society during election. This is because the implementation of civic education programmes had influence people’s awareness levels of the occurrences around them that developed their interests to participate in political activities and election processes.

 The paper aims is to assess the impact of civic education on political participation: A case study of 2019 general election in Gada Local Government of Sokoto State The INEC as the electoral body has major functions to perform so also the party stakeholders as the major political actors in the electoral procedure have important roles to play in assuring free elections in Nigeria. The researcher used secondary source of data collection that is using documentaries and INEC annual reports. The study found out that in all the elections organized and conducted in Nigeria; it was only 2019 general election that was a free, fair, credible and acceptable.

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The practice of democracy in Nigeria over two decade ago has not yielded much needed good governance. This is because democracy is practiced in such a way that responsible and competent people are scared away. Scholars and keen observers have attempted at unraveling the factors militating against translating democracy into good governance, (Adedinpe, 2002). A country’s democracy is entrenched when its citizenry participate actively in its democratic processes. This realisation has been the driving force for democratic nations, including Nigeria, to implement civic education programmes to enlighten the citizenry on civic issues in order to enhance their democratic participation.

Electoral turnout and voting, which are the cornerstones of the democratic political process, have been on the decrease over the last decades in almost all States in Nigeria. Sokoto State for instance, especially Gada LGA, voter turnout by age in 18 as in Nigeria democracies concludes that a decline in youth voter turnout was a serious and wide spread problem for contemporary democracies (IDEA, 1999). Moreover, in 2019, just some of the electorate in the Gada LGA voted and it was turnout to be the lowest level of voter participation since 1999 (Phelps, 2006). It is added that in recent election, there were several elections in the LGAs of Sokoto State marked by extremely low voter turnout (less than 50%). These include the Gada LGA elections of 2019, the gubernatorial election and presidential election.

This, therefore, explains the reason for which attention is accorded to civic education as illustrated by Galston (2001) as one of the oldest topics in political theory, as a means of promoting democracy especially as espoused by influencing people’s awareness levels of the occurrences around them so that they will develop the interest to participate in political activities.

THE IMPACT OF CIVIC EDUCATION ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION A CASE STUDY OF 2019 GENERAL ELECTION IN GADA LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF SOKOTO STATE

THE IMPACT OF CIVIC EDUCATION ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION A CASE STUDY OF 2019 GENERAL ELECTION IN GADA LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF SOKOTO STATE