Ending Electoral Fraud in Nigeria: can the Agenda Setting Role of the Mass Media salvage the situation?

Abstract

In Nigeria, electoral fraud has arguably become prevalent. As a result of it, most electorate seems to have lost faith in the electoral process. In all this, the media have a great role to play in correcting this anomaly that has been denting the Nigerian democratic image through their agenda setting function. This study was underpinned on agenda setting theory. The survey research method was adopted. The population comprises 180 registered and practicing journalists in Imo State. The census principle was used in the study. The approach of purposive sampling was adopted. The data gathering instrument was a questionnaire and analysis was done using descriptive statistics and mean analysis. Finding revealed that the media through their agenda setting function can salvage the issue of electoral fraud in Nigeria. It was recommended that having known the mass media have great tendency to influence change, creators of mass media contents in the Nigerian media industry should not relent in their efforts in packaging mass media content that can help in raising the consciousness of the people towards the danger of electoral fraud with the intention of ending it.