Abstract

The research study examines the role of Media as an agent of political Communication and voting pattern in Ebonyi State 2015 general elections. It also analyses the determinants of the paradigm shift from hitherto religious, ethnic and regional affiliations vis-a-vis voting in Nigeria. The paper adopts the secondary methodology, which in the parlance suggests a descriptive research methodology from library materials. 376 questionnaires were drawn and distributed to eligible electorates. The Taro Yamane’s model of determining sample size was adopted to determine the sample size for the study.

The researcher used a quantitative, descriptive survey design and adopted the survey research method. Findings

show that, economic situations, fear, insecurity, expectations and political socialization among others are the major factors that determined the voting behavior and political participation of Ebonyians in the 2015 governorship elections.

The study recommends absolute legitimizing process by results, adequate political socialization, effective media orientation among other things in dealing with proper political participation and voting culture.

Keywords: Mass-media, Political-Communication, Electorate, Voting Pattern