GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the influence of political campaign messages on electoral violence during the 2023 Akwa Ibom State gubernatorial election. The population of the study comprised all the registered voters in Akwa Ibom State - 2,119,727. Using a descriptive survey design and a multi?stage sampling technique, data were collected from 378 residents through a structured questionnaire entitled “Questionnaire on Political Campaign Messages and Electoral Violence in the 2023 Akwa Ibom State Gubernatorial Election (QPCMEVAISGE). Face and content validation of the instrument was carried out by one expert in media and communication studies and one expert in test, measurement and evaluation in order to ensure that the instrument had the accuracy, appropriateness and completeness for the study under consideration. The reliability coefficient obtained was 0.78, using Cronbach’s Alpha and this was high enough to justify the use of the research instrument. After the data collection the data were analyzed using frequency distributions and percentage analysis. Findings revealed that the majority of respondents were highly exposed to campaign messages, which were largely perceived as inciting, inflammatory, and reflective of ethnic and tribal sentiments. A significant proportion of respondents indicated that these messages strongly contributed to electoral violence, affecting both voter participation and the overall conduct of the election. The study highlighted the roles of campaign messaging in shaping voter perception and behavior, emphasizing that irresponsible communication can exacerbate conflict in competitive political environments. Based on these findings, the study recommended regulatory enforcement, issue-based campaigning, enhanced civic education, ethical media practices, and proactive monitoring of social media to reduce campaign messages that portend election-related violence. The study contributes to knowledge by linking agenda-setting and framing theories to the communication–violence nexus in emerging democracies, providing empirical insights for policymakers, electoral bodies, and political actors.