Religion and Political Choice: Evidence from Oyo Federal Constituency in Nigeria's 2023 General Elections

Abstract

This study investigates the interplay between religious affiliations and voting behavior in Oyo Federal Constituency during Nigeria's 2023 general elections, within a socio-political context where ~50% of Nigerians are Muslim and 40% Christian, profoundly influencing choices via colonial favoritism, post-independence party-faith alignments, and the APC's Muslim-Muslim ticket (Tinubu-Shettima), which unified Northern Muslims but alienated Southern Christians. In Oyo, candidates secured religious endorsements from mosques and churches for mobilization, entrenching faith in electoral strategies. Despite this dominance, gaps remain in dissecting religion's sway over voter decisions often eclipsing socio-economics, merit, and policy amid politicians' faith exploitation, leaders' party loyalty influence, and underexplored interfaith dialogue for curbing polarization and violence, raising questions on electoral inclusivity and governance cohesion. The study probes four research questions: faith's electoral impact; leaders'/institutions' roles; sociolect-economic-faith intersections; and dialogue's potential.A quantitative descriptive survey used structured questionnaires on 160 voters, purposively selected to reflect Oyo's religious diversity and 2023 perspectives. Findings indicate 62.5% report religion shaping decisions, 57.5% prefer co-religionists, 63.1% prioritize faith amid hardship, 68.1% see exploitation; yet 76.3% support interfaith talks against violence, 73.1% leader collaborations for issue-voting, though 62.5% note partisanship. Insights advocate dialogue and civic education for depolarization and others were recommended.