RELIGIOUS OUTLOOK ON THE ELECTORAL PROCESS IN THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS OF NIGERIA

Abstract

Religion all over the world is sustained as a powerful tool in the political life of a nation. There has been very consistent and unbroken interaction between religion and politics. Through the agency of scholarship, various ways in which religion has played a role in making or marring the political process has been captured. But in Nigeria, the religious outlook on the electoral process in the 2023 general elections has not been adequately problematized. Although, the positive contributions of religion to a healthy political life through the electoral process cannot be ignore, the fact remains that intolerance amongst religious bodies is a fundamental challenge in the execution of a free, fair and credible election. This implies that Nigeria’s politico-religious problems have religious colorations and connotations.  It is against this backdrop that, this paper is designed, using the descriptive methodological approach, to discuss the subject of religious outlook in the 2023 general elections. The study discovered that religion is a major determinant of directions and dimensions, prospects and challenges of Nigerian electoral process. The paper recommends that religion should not be deployed to manipulate election processes. It should only be properly and positively appropriated to ensure the sustainability of a health democracy through a free, fair and credible electoral process.