Resurging Prebendalism, Clientelism and Candidate Endorsement Syndrome: A Critique of the 2019 Presidential Election in Nigeria
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Adeleke University Journal of Business and Social Sciences (AUJBSS)
Abstract
Before the 2019 presidential election, Nigeria’s political landscape was besieged by a series of candidate endorsements
from various religious, socio-cultural, political, and professional groups. The candidacy of the incumbent President,
Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and that of a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar of
the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) enjoyed unprecedented mind-bugling and staggering endorsements. This occurred
despite strong concerns/criticisms on the likely performance of the incumbent, the dismal records, and the issue of
integrity of the main challenger. The questions this paper raise therefore are: were the various endorsements made based
on the credibility, integrity, performance, and track records of the two main candidates, or were they based on a
clientelist, prebendal, and patronage system, which have characterised politics/political contests in the country? Did
such endorsements emerge from a rational, apolitical, and objective assessment of the two candidates? Besides, did
those endorsements have any significant effect on the outcomes of the election? To answer these questions, Rational
Choice was used as the theoretical anchorage, while a survey design with a mixed-method approach was adopted. An
online questionnaire was administered to fifty respondents purposively drawn from a population that comprised
academics, professionals, members of civil society organisations and students to generate primary data. Secondary data
were sourced from books, journal articles, newspapers, and media commentaries. Results showed that the majority of
the endorsements were not objective; rather, they were based on political manoeuvres/patronage, religious, ethnic, and
tribal sentiments among other factors. This reflects that personal or group’s material benefits are placed over
performance in the country’s political arena.
Description
Staff Publication
Keywords
Candidate endorsements,, Prebedalism,, Clientelism,, Patronage,, Nigeria’s 2019 presidential election
Citation
Adefisoye, Taiwo O., & Braimah, Frederick I. (2023). Resurging Prebendalism, Clientelism and Candidate Endorsement Syndrome: A Critique of the 2019 Presidential Election in Nigeria. Adeleke University Journal of Business and Social Sciences (AUJBSS), 3(1), 264–276. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7893011