Polit Journal Scientific Journal of Politics

Influence of Political Billboard Advertising on Non-Literate Electorates’ Voting Intentions in 2022 Governorship Election

2026-07-03T08:02:48+00:00

Political campaigns are planned endeavours by political parties to win over the public. The purpose of a political billboard campaign is to create awareness, persuade and remind voters of the political party’s programmes and candidates. Since billboard uses large graphics and pictures, they are on the basis of the findings, the study concluded that, though billboard can serve as a reminder to the non-literate electorates. This study thus sought to find out whether billboard adverts influenced the intention to vote among non-literate electorates in Osun State. This work was anchored on political mobilization, rational choice, and agenda-setting theories. Political mobilization theory explains the strategies political parties use to mobilize electorates, rational choice assumes that individuals have preferences out of available choices of alternatives, agenda-setting theory examines how the media influences the importance and salience of various topics in public discourse, on the basis of the attention paid to them. The survey method was used to gather data from 389 Ede respondents from North and South Osun state. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts, and the result was presented in percentages and tables. Findings revealed that the non-literates had a pre-determined candidate of choice on the basis that the candidate was from the same area as the respondents. However, findings further revealed that political billboard adverts reinforce the predetermined choice and constantly remind them of the political party/candidate to vote for. This research recommended to political parties since they are focusing on non-literates that there should be the use of clearer pictures and more visible graphics for easy identification of political parties as this may encourage these non-literates to vote for them when they see the billboard.

Protestantism: A State Religion during the Malagasy Monarchy

2026-07-08T02:19:41+00:00

Emerging from the sixteenth-century European Reformation, Protestantism expanded dynamically, leading to the nineteenth-century insertion of the British Presbyterian movement into Madagascar. This article examines the institutionalization of Protestantism and the systemic transformations catalyzed by the strategic convergence between British missionaries and Malagasy sovereigns. Employing a qualitative, historical-critical methodology, this study analyzes an extensive corpus of administrative treaties, ecclesiastic archives, and historical documents to elucidate how this religious movement functioned as a primary mechanism of state modernization and political centralization. The empirical findings reveal that the London Missionary Society (LMS) systematically introduced scriptural literacy and a Western-style educational apparatus in Imerina from 1820 onward, utilizing pedagogical networks to accelerate evangelical conversion. Despite a three-decade period of aggressive state-enforced suppression under Queen Ranavalona I, the Protestant apparatus demonstrated profound structural resilience. Following the diplomatic liberalization of 1862, this socio-religious movement culminated in its historic elevation to the rank of de facto state religion under Queen Ranavalona II in 1869. The state-church alliance generated sweeping civilizational advancements, including the formation of native administrative cadres, the implementation of robust biomedical and hospital infrastructures, and significant innovations in material architecture. Simultaneously, this study highlights the dialectical tensions produced by social polarization, alongside the eventual emergence of a stable socio-cultural synthesis, exemplified by the integration of traditional ancestral customs within Christian liturgical practices. This undisputed Protestant hegemony permanently altered the island's institutional trajectory until 1896, when French colonial rule under Governor-General Gallieni systematically dismantled its structural privileges to favor Roman Catholicism.

The Fractal Polity: Macrocosm, Microcosm, and the Co-Creation of Communal Heaven or Hell

2026-07-14T06:18:22+00:00

Political science has long struggled to explain why some nations achieve sustained flourishing (“heaven on Earth”) while others descend into systemic predation, distrust and suffering (“hell on Earth”). Existing institutional, economic and cultural theories overlook the recursive, self similar relationship between macro scale governance and micro scale citizen consciousness. This paper introduces the fractal polity framework, drawing on the Hermetic principle “As above, so below,” to theorize governance and citizen practice as co creative, bi directionally causal and self similar across scales. The study synthesizes political philosophy, complexity theory and comparative case analysis. Four cases are examined using a novel Fractal Diagnostic Tool that assesses macro micro alignment on three dimensions: justice, truth and compassion. Fractal alignment produces heavenly outcomes (Costa Rica); pathological fractal alignment produces self reinforcing hell (Mobutu’s Zaire); radical macro reform can catalyze micro change (post Soviet Georgia); but macro liberalization without micro civic trust can trigger collapse (post EPRDF Ethiopia). Transmission occurs via institutional signaling, resource allocation, enforcement, collective action, norms diffusion and leadership selection, with tipping points at critical minority thresholds. Heaven and hell on Earth are emergent products of fractal alignment or misalignment. Durable transformation requires simultaneous top down institutional reform and bottom up cultivation of civic virtue. Policymakers should adopt fractal audits; citizens should organize at neighbourhood scales; researchers should employ multi scale longitudinal methods, agent based modelling and QCA.

Media Framing of Socio-Political Discourse in Nigeria

2026-08-15T04:36:16+00:00

Media framing plays a significant role in shaping public understanding of socio-political issues by influencing how events, actors, policies, and national debates are selected, presented, and interpreted. In Nigeria, where the media operates within a complex socio-political environment characterised by ethnic, religious, economic, and ideological divisions, the framing of public discourse has important implications for citizens' perceptions and democratic engagement. This study examines the framing of socio-political discourse in Nigeria, with particular attention to how the media constructs and represents political and social issues in the public sphere. Anchored in Framing Theory, the study adopts a qualitative research approach based on secondary data. Data are drawn from existing scholarly literature, journal articles, books, media reports, policy documents, and other relevant published sources on media framing and socio-political discourse in Nigeria. The data are reviewed and thematically analysed to identify dominant framing patterns, recurring themes, and the broader implications of media representations for public understanding and democratic discourse. The study argues that media framing extends beyond the presentation of events to influence how audiences interpret political actors, governance, public policies, and societal challenges. It concludes that balanced, responsible, and context-sensitive media framing is essential for promoting informed public debate, democratic participation, social cohesion, and accountable governance in Nigeria.

Reclaiming the Philosopher-King’s Wisdom: Reconciling Ethiopia’s Imperial, Derg, and Ethnic Federalist Actors toward a Durable Peace

2026-08-15T05:18:38+00:00

Ethiopia’s political history has been shaped by the philosopher‑king ideal, a divinely sanctioned, wise ruler modelled on King David and legitimated by the Kebra Nagast and the Orthodox Church. This ideal collapsed under feudal oppression, imperial neglect during the 1973–74 Wollo famine, and the 1974 revolution. This study investigates how the ethical core of the philosopher‑king model (justice, wisdom, service) can be reclaimed to reconcile Ethiopia’s three competing political legacies: Imperial, Derg, and Ethnic Federalist. Methods: A historical‑institutional analysis integrated with peacebuilding theory was employed. Qualitative interpretation of primary sources (Kebra Nagast, constitutions, and policy documents) and secondary literature (transitional justice reports, conflict analyses) informed the framework. The imperial legacy offers national unity but rests on feudal hierarchy; the Derg’s revolutionary rupture destroyed the old order but produced terror and famine; ethnic federalism institutionalized division, culminating in the Tigray War (2020–2022) and ongoing violence. The ethical attributes of King David protective justice (Psalm 72), repentant humility (2 Samuel 12), and covenantal unification (2 Samuel 5) provide normative resources that can be extracted from theocratic monarchy and embedded in democratic institutions. Conclusion: Reconciliation requires neither imperial restoration nor revolutionary erasure, but a new social contract inspired by Davidic wisdom, applied through inclusive national dialogue, land and economic reforms, tiered transitional justice, and multiperspective education. Recommendation: Implement a truth‑healing commission that includes all three actors, soften ethnic federalism through constitutional reform, and foster a civic, non‑ethnic national identity.