The much-touted 2003 elections now belong to the past. Nigeria did not break in pieces, at least, literally. However, like every other significant event in a nation’s history, the 2003 general elections is just still present. It left in its trail unrestrained outbursts, tantrums, violence, condemnations as well as commendations. All the major actions had something to say – the aspirants, the political parties, the elections observers, NGOs, pressure groups and indeed, the electorate around whom, the whom electoral process revolves.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, shortly after his re-election, said in an nationwide NTA broadcast, April 21, 2003, that he was indeed humbled that he was still the choice of the Nigerian people for a second term.
The European Union observes noted that in ‘Thisday’ (2003:19) that the elections were though successfully rigged in many parts of Nigeria. The National Newspaper, for the most part, were full of victory and reprimands for the re-elected aspirants, who they accused of massive rigging, very many other newspapers contents eulogized the conduct of the polls. Furthermore, many Nigerians Lanproved the elections, vehemently unleashing consignments of invective on the PDP seeming conspiracy against defenseless Nigerians.
Now, whose words are apt to describe the elections? Because the media are purveyors of mass information; the pivots of social communication and agenda setters, the electorate always turned to the mass media, especially the print media, for relevant information. There are however, as many print media houses as there are editorial philosophics that underlie media operations.
This is why this research project is devoted to exploring audience perception of press coverage of 2003 Election. The bedrock of democratic government is the people’s will. This opinion is pronounced in elections through the electorate giving legitimate mandate to a crop of people to represent them in government milieu. It is little surprise then why ascertaining the opinion of the people is very important at this point. The people will be unhappy if they are convinced that their choices did not reign supreme eventually. This is because they know that election provides the opportunity for them to censor their governors through the ballot box. The electoral process is used to keep leaders within the rue principles of democratic institution.
Yet opinion is nor merely a question of just finding out how people feel or describe the elections. Beyond the peripheral descriptions, there ought to be an analysis of the implications of people’s reactions to the elections especially in view of past occurrences in Nigeria’s political experiences. People’s reactions come in form of acceptance, rejection, tolerance, (in the so called interest of peace rather than justice) praise, attack or total condemnation and abhorrence of the whole process.
We will situate our quest within some theoretical foundations, the views of pundits on various election matters, and give insights into Nigeria’s election past with focus on people’s perception of the past electoral processes.
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