https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9007-0296
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ABSTRACT
The dynamic features of the 2015 presidential elections in Nigeria in which the opposition party candidate unseated the incumbent for the first time with little or no rigorous, expensive post-election litigations reveal the potential emergence and influence of political marketing in Nigerian politics. This paper argued that the market-oriented approach, the purposeful, coordinated, and strategic use of marketing communication media and tools contributed to the success of All Progressive Congress (APC) at the 2015 presidential polls. The evolution of voter-centric election campaigns indicates that marketing and communication professionals and strategies, rather than violence and electoral fraud, have dominated and will continue to dictate the outcomes of political elections in Nigeria. This study, therefore, reviewed the 2019 presidential election (the next election after the 2015 general election in Nigeria) to establish if the anticipated voter-centric election is evident. With experts interviews, direct observations, and secondary materials, we found that the 2019 presidential election was extremely monetised, violent, and fraught with all manners of electoral misconducts that are antithetical to the principles and practice of political marketing. We aver that electioneering in Nigeria is not market-driven and voter-centric.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. The author was a guest political and social analyst on Television Continental TVC and Lagos State Television LTV during the 2019 elections.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Olanrewaju Olugbenga Akinola
Olanrewaju Olugbenga Akinola is a Lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria. He holds a Bachelor Degree in English from the then “Ogun State University” now Olabisi Onabanjo University, a Master Degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan and a PhD in Communication from North West University, Mafikeng. His research interests are political marketing, young people and the social media.
Ibrahim Ayoade Adekunle
Ibrahim Ayoade Adekunle is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Economics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria. He doubles also as a research fellow at the European Xtramile Centre of African Studies. He obtained Bsc Economics from Tai Solarin University of Education and MSc Economics from the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. His research interests are in Development Economics, Financial Economics as well as Energy and Environmental Economics.