Election is one of the aspects that establishes a democratic form of governance. Some members of an institution (society or organization) will make themselves accessible as contenders or candidates before executing it as a stage toward establishing representative leadership. They are expected to engage other members by explaining their agenda for the welfare of everybody.
In Nigeria, politicians, political parties, and supporters typically engage in campaign activities for a period of days in order to promote the party’s program and candidates’ attributes to the electorate. Since the country’s restoration to democratic rule in 1999, campaign times have been routinely contentious because actors prioritize negative campaign tactics. The actors have long believed that engaging in smear campaigns delivers greater electoral value (votes) than relying solely on positive techniques such as downplaying opponents’ shortcomings.
Sadness, rage, and weariness are the most frequent symptoms of depression that actors may face as a result of smear campaigns during the campaign season. The extent to which these and other mental health symptoms appear after an election varies on whether you are a winner or a loser. Our analyst observes that candidates, members of their parties, and supporters are more likely to have these symptoms after the election if they are in the loss zone. The actors who won the election and endured symptoms throughout the campaign time as a result of the smear campaign are expected to be compensated with happiness in order to recover quickly from their prior low mental state.
Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 16 (Feb 10 – May 3, 2025) opens registrations; register today for early bird discounts.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and invest in Africa’s finest startups here.
Coping Strategies
Losers and their supporters, according to mental health professionals and numerous studies on election failure and mental health, need to examine personal and social solutions for overcoming emerging depressive symptoms. The first priority should be to improve physical health stability. This is required since the body has been exhausted throughout campaign activities, and continuing to expose the body to improper feeding and surroundings would be disastrous. In other words, you must replenish your energy by engaging in feeding activities that have a high potential for improving your energy as well as remaining in locations and buildings that do not have toxic infrastructure syndrome.
One method to exacerbate your mental health problems after the election is to continue using social media and ingesting bad news articles from traditional media. Because you and your candidates were heavily involved in smear campaigns, there is a considerable likelihood that the individuals and entities you and others attacked would bring up those memories, using them against you in order to increase your depressed mood.
As a result, avoid social media and limit your news consumption for a few days. While you are away from social media and reading less news information, you should utilize the time to speak with trustworthy members of your family, friends, and community leaders who share the same vision and philosophy as you and your candidates.
Early acceptance of loss as a democratic principle will aid in speedy rehabilitation. If you are a member of your candidate’s political party or a direct supporter, you must immediately begin engaging in activities that will link you more with the people who voted against you. They are likely to halt further aggressive offensive information dissemination or conversation about you on social media and/or through interpersonal contact channels. This will also contribute to favourable media coverage, which will help restore voters’ lost faith.