Dramatic Techniques in Nigerian Political Campaign Events: Rhetoric, Symbolism, and Performance

This study analyses the use of dramatic techniques in Nigerian political campaign events, examining how politicians and campaign teams employ performance strategies including rhetoric, symbolic staging, costuming, and crowd choreography to communicate political messages and generate electoral support. Political campaign events in Nigeria are increasingly theatrical in their organisation, drawing on popular entertainment conventions to attract audiences and project candidate identity. The research examines video recordings and ethnographic observations from governorship and presidential campaign events across three geopolitical zones, applying theatrical analysis frameworks to political performance. The study finds that successful campaign events deploy dramatic techniques including the use of call-and-response audience participation, symbolic costume choices that reference ethnic or regional identity, and theatrical entrances designed to generate maximum crowd spectacle. Music and dance are consistently used to establish emotional solidarity before substantive messaging. The research concludes that understanding campaign events through a theatrical lens reveals important dimensions of political communication in Nigeria. It recommends interdisciplinary collaboration between Theatre Arts scholars and political scientists in studying Nigerian political performance. Keywords: political campaigns, dramatic techniques, performance, Nigerian politics, rhetorical performance.