Agents of Peace or Tension: Analysing Political Elites’ Electoral Rhetoric : A Qualitative Analysis of Campaign Rhetoric in the 2023 Nigerian Presidential Election

Abstract: How do some political elites, in unstable democracies with communal divisions, use ethnic, religious, and tribal affiliations for a rhetoric of polarisation and/or reconciliation when running for office? This thesis applies a framing analysis to explore how political elites employ these affiliations in speech acts, mainly political rallies, to construct narratives of polarisation and reconciliation during election campaigns. The theoretical framework is constructed by previous research on “Big Men” politics and the rhetoric used by ex-combatants turned politicians within a context embossed with electoral violence and division. The thesis conducts a qualitative case study of the 2023 Nigerian election, where the frames used by the winner of the election, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his main opponents, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, are investigated. While previous research suggests ambiguity in the rhetoric of political elites, the empirical findings reveal a surprising level of consistency in the candidates' framing. This study offers perspectives on Nigeria and similar multi-ethnic nations marked by communal divisions. It contributes to the comprehension of the intricacies of political communication in unstable democracies, where language has the power to either promote reconciliation or exacerbate polarisation.