Negative Propaganda and Political Warfare in Nigeria: A Theatrical and Cultural Discourse Analysis

Abstract

This study critically investigates the effects of negative propaganda as an instrument of political warfare and national policy in Nigeria, examined through a theatrical performance and cultural discourse lens. Focusing on the first year of Late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2016, the research adopts a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative data from 300 systematically selected respondents with qualitative insights drawn from interviews, literature, and content analysis. Guided by Cultural Norms Theory and Theatrical Performance Theory, the study explores how political actors weaponised ethnoreligious narratives, symbolic imagery, and performative communication to influence public opinion, manipulate collective perception, and legitimise policy positions. Findings reveal that 78 per cent of the administration’s political communication relied on biased or distorted messaging, and 65 per cent of respondents agreed that such propaganda negatively shaped national discourse, civic behaviour, and socio-political cohesion. These results align with scholarship arguing that propaganda functions through cultural codes and dramaturgical displays that script, dramatise, and amplify political narratives. Counter-arguments in the literature, however, suggest that propaganda may also stabilise governance by creating ideological clarity or mobilising national unity during crises; yet the Nigerian case shows that such benefits rarely materialised. The study concludes that negative propaganda contributed to political polarisation, weakened public trust, and undermined policy communication. It recommends adopting transparent strategic communication, culturally grounded public relations, and evidence-driven political messaging as sustainable alternatives for achieving national policy goals.