The Metaphysics of Ubuntu and Its Implications for a Theory of Political Authority in Post-Colonial African States: Original Contributions from the Nigerian Experience

This dissertation develops an original theory of political authority grounded in the metaphysics of Ubuntu, drawing primarily on Nigerian philosophical traditions to challenge the legitimacy deficit of post-colonial African state institutions whose authority structures were inherited from colonial political philosophy rather than from indigenous African political ontology. The dissertation addresses a fundamental gap in African political philosophy: while Ubuntu has been extensively analysed as a social and ethical framework, its metaphysical implications for a theory of legitimate political authority have not been systematically developed. A multi-phase philosophical methodology is employed, combining deep metaphysical analysis of Ubuntu relational ontology from Mogobe Ramose, Thaddeus Metz, and Nigerian communitarian philosophers with political philosophy analysis of authority theory from Joseph Raz, Hannah Arendt, and African political thought, and empirical grounding from 75 interviews with political philosophers, traditional authority holders, and civil society leaders across all six Nigerian geopolitical zones. The dissertation proposes the Ubuntu Political Authority Model as an original theoretical contribution, which specifies that legitimate political authority in African states requires relational grounding in community recognition, reciprocal obligation between rulers and ruled, and restorative accountability mechanisms rooted in communal moral ontology. Original contributions include the Ubuntu Political Authority Model, a critique of social contract theory from an Ubuntu metaphysical standpoint, and a constitutional reform framework for Nigerian political institutions. Keywords: Ubuntu metaphysics, political authority, post-colonial theory, African political philosophy, Nigeria.