In every democratic country, there is a chance for the economy to significantly improve during an election cycle. This occurs when political figures and the people who support them spend more on political marketing and advertising. On the other hand, if actors and supporters expect returns on their investment within the first one or two years of governance through “financial impropriety” or concentration of public resources in the hands of cronies with the intention of getting financial benefits indirectly, the increased spending could be disastrous for the economy.
It should be pointed out, though, that despite increased funding, political parties and candidates hardly thought of public debate as one of the sub-integrated political marketing communication methods for promoting traits, values, and manifestos to the electorate and captains of industries, where part of the increased budgets could be spent.
On several occasions, political parties and candidates have cited developed democracies in the global north as models for democratic governance, but it is difficult to imagine them willingly participating in debates in which their agenda and policies would be scrutinized by ordinary citizens and professionals. Our analyst previously analyzed and described this as a problematization of normalizing political debate in Nigeria’s election discourse, in which media and non-state actors are dragging political actors towards institutionalization of debate.
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As the media and non-state actors continue to debate the importance of having candidates in various debate contests, our analyst examines the normalization of a foreign think tank’s “podium” as an alternative to “Nigeria’s podium” for discussing how to address national issues, challenges, and ways of meeting public needs when they (political parties and candidates) are elected.
Chatham House’s podium interpellates Nigerian presidential candidates every election year. Interpellate/interpellation is an ideology attributed to the work of French philosopher Louis Althusser that explains how ideas get into our heads and have an effect on our lives, so much so that we believe cultural ideas are our own. As a result, rather than political parties and candidates participating in national debates from their own podiums, foreign think-tanks and their podiums are prioritized. Our analyst observes that foreign political debates or symposia are becoming more common in the country’s election campaign discourse.
“Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent policy institute headquartered in London. Its stated mission is to provide commentary on world events and offer solutions to global challenges. It is the originator of the Chatham House Rule. British think tank founded in 1920
We are an independent policy institute and a trusted forum for debate and dialogue. Our research and ideas help people understand our changing world. Chatham House helps people, societies and governments understand and adapt to seismic change. We provided thought leadership on key issues that defined the 20th century.”
Chatham House interpellated President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 when he contested for the fourth times. If Alhaji Atiku Abubakar eventually makes it to the House, it will be his second times. He was interpellated in April 2018 ahead of the 2019 presidential election. Apart from these prominent contenders, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu was recently interpellated by the House. Some public affairs analysts, political activists and citizens believed that Senator Tinubu’s interpellation by the House gave him an unfair advantage over the other candidates.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, the New Nigerian People’s Party’s (NNPP) Rabiu Kwankwaso, and the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, however, will also be invited to share their visions for restoring hope in Nigeria, according to Alex Vines, Director of Africa Program at Chatham House, who made the announcement during the hosting of Tinubu by the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
The question remains; Why should Nigerian politicians speak on platforms hosted by European countries, while jettisoning own podiums?