ASSESSING PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN BY ASPIRATION NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF NASARAWA LGA, KANO STATE)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the Study

Nigeria's growing international links with other countries make it a fascinating case study to examine the nature of political public relations in Nigeria, as well as its economic, political, and ideological activities (Nwanmuoh et al., 2021). One of the key functions of public relations is managing foreign relations, which includes bolstering political reputations for election day and improving Nigeria's standing abroad (Stromback & Kiousis, 2011). Given that political parties, institutions, and governmental bodies frequently employ public relations strategies and tactics (Paul & James 2014), understanding the current state and evolution of political public relations is essential to determining a political party's image, campaign, and competitive advantage.

Political communication scholars have extensively examined the use of public relations by political candidates in elections in the US, Europe, and, to a lesser extent, other parts of the world(Bimber, 2020; Hermans & Vergeer, 2013). Researchers have attempted to understand the potentially revolutionary effects that digital technologies may have on the way politicians engage the public, disseminate information, and win over votes as more people have greater access to them. Regarding its purported power to alter politics, the phrase "digital media," which is used to describe internet and mobile phone technologies, has drawn attention (Elishar-Malka et al., 2020).Due of their uniqueness and possible political ramifications, newspapers, radio, films, and television have all been the subject of extensive research at one point (Manovich, 2019). Scholarly focus shifted to how the "new" digital media would affect political life at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

One of the main indicators that a country practices democracy is the ability for citizens to vote for their representatives. As a result, during an election campaign, a democratic country need to give unrestricted access to public information and exhibit impartiality and equity towards all political parties. In a democracy, the media should inform the public about a range of political topics, and it should be freely accessible to millions of people (Cohen et al., 2021).The primary drawback of a media-centered democracy is the absence of in-person interactions, which are essential for getting to know political candidates during elections. The fact that politicians usually overspend on expensive television ads is another disadvantage. As such, the cost of a television advertising campaign through conventional media is high (Barrett Jr, 2020). During the campaign, politicians may use modern media, especially the internet, to a great extent because of its low cost of usage.

Time has changed to reflect the new period and emerging technology. The ability to communicate and share knowledge has never been greater thanks to technology breakthroughs. Previously, manual elections were used, but now they are automated, and electoral campaigns are given a wider and greater level of coverage using various public relation platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and others (Inocian, Rosaroso, & De Vera, 2017).

According to Bright et al. (2020), through the information spread by the candidates' campaigns, voters are more likely to support the candidates who shared their concerns. Furthermore, voters are impacted by campaign activities, which may also have an impact on voters' preferences for particular issues and assessments of particular candidates. Voters may have been swayed by extensive news coverage of the elections. When it comes to voting decisions, the agenda provides a useful structure and important considerations(Abbe et al., 2018). Kiousis et al. (2015) claim that when issues become relevant in voters' eyes, voters are ready to use these issues as benchmarks for judging candidates for office.

Nowadays, with the advent of the digital age, communication and information flow across time and space are unimpeded. Everyone acknowledges this as true. On a worldwide scale, information and communication technologies are seen as two of the primary drivers of development and expansion (Nation, 2015). The argument in favor of voter-politician interaction seems to be evolving. This is due to the dynamic between offline and online media as well as between old and new media, which created an area defined by a vast deal of information and communication avenues rather than the general state of information and communications technology in society(Engelstad, et al., 2017).

Technology advancement can affect both people and politicians, who are expected to deal with it, say Barley and Tolbert (2017). They concentrate on their objectives and the method by which they apply new technology.

In addition to providing a forum through which those who are politically inclined can readily spread information among a potentially uninterested public, public relations can also result in coincidental exposure to political communication. Just as in-person opinion leaders did before the internet, public relations platforms may be used to spread the agenda of the mass media to a bigger audience through casual exposure and online opinion leaders. Additionally, opinion leaders' contributions to information dissemination through public relations may hasten the agenda-setting impacts in particular(Feezell, 2018).

In this election season, politicians recognized the need to modernize and purposefully positioned themselves outside of the conventional forms of campaigning in the public relations space, where millions of Filipinos are actively using information and starting conversations. Politicians who have realized how important it is to use public relations as a tool to further their own objectives have used the power of public relations to influence the public as a crucial platform.Recently, a growing number of Filipinos have entered the field of public relations, making it important to Filipinos in their daily lives. More than 23 million Filipinos used the internet during the 2020 elections, according to www.InternetLiveStats.com. Additionally, the public relations website estimates that 49 million Filipinos use Facebook on a monthly basis, or nearly half of the nation's population, as of the 2016 elections. With these technical means at their disposal, politicians may use public relations as a platform for their campaigns with only their creativity as a limit (Dangla, 2016).

The expansion of online news in the early 2020s brought about a new set of difficulties. The structure of modern public relations platforms, like Facebook, is entirely different from that of prior media technology. Users can share content without significant third-party vetting, fact-checking, or editorial oversigh (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017). There is a great deal of concern regarding the part that social media sites like Facebook and Twitter play in spreading false information during political campaigns. These technologies are widely used, and inaccurate information is one of their most prominent uses(Garrett, 2019).

Politicians had hitherto struggled to gain notoriety, or to have their opinions and likenesses printed in the media. This demonstrates the constrained path that politicians take prior to the development of contemporary public relations techniques. Modern public relations professionals have developed a planned and persistent effort aimed at generating goodwill and mutual understanding between individuals, organizations, groups, communities, and their publics in accordance with the new trends of packaging for political advantages.Despite effort by researchers to examine the role of new media in political activities in Nigeria, there still exist a dearth in literature about the application of public relation in political activities in Nigeria. It is based on this background that the present study seeks to assess public relations campaign by aspiration in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

          Succeeding or winning the election is the goal, aim, and desire of any political party. To achieve this, political parties must employ public relations techniques and tactics to guarantee, uphold, and preserve mutual respect, acknowledgment, understanding, relationships, and goodwill-building between a political party and her numerous publics. Political parties thus run into the following problems with their campaign strategies.

          Campaign planning, budgeting, fundraising, rallies, advertising, image and reputation management, media relations, identity management, and more; campaign execution and evaluation. The growing use of mobile phones and the internet in Nigeria, as in the majority of African nations, has sparked expectations that this cutting-edge technology can strengthen developing democracies.Sub-Saharan Africa has seen some of the fastest growth rates in mobile phone and internet penetration in the world over the past ten years, for example, in Nigeria, where mobile phone subscribers have increased from just over 866,000 in 2019 to over 150 million active lines as of July 2015.Internet users increased from 200,000 to 93 million during the same time period (NCC, 2015). These innovations have increased election quality by making them more effective and transparent. As a result, elections in Nigeria and across the continent are becoming steadily more peaceful (Garrett, 2019). Based on this background, the aim of this study is to assess public relations campaign by aspiration in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria.

1.2 Objectives of the Study

          The main objective of this study was to assess public relations campaign by aspiration in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria. Other specific objectives of the study include;

1. To evaluate the impact of the use of public relation on political activities Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria.

2. To examine the need for an effective public relation in political activities in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria.

3. To identify the various public relations strategies used during political activities in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria.

4. To determine the extent to which political parties and politicians use public relations as a tool for winning voters’ support in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria.

5. To ascertain the if there is a relationship between use of public relation and political activities in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria

1.3 Research Questions

          The following questions will guide this study;

1. What is the extent in which the use of public relation impact on political activities in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria?

2. What are the need for an effective public relations in political activities in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria?

3. What are the various public relations strategies used during political activities Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria?

4. What is the extent to which political parties and politicians use public relations as a tool for winning voters’ support in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria?

5. Is there a relationship between use of public relation and political activities in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria?

1.4 Significance of the study

          The significance of this research will be determined by how valuable it is to political parties, legislators, electorates, scholars, and the general public.

The study's conclusions will first aid political parties in understanding the necessity of identifying, creating, choosing, implementing, and assessing the campaign strategies that will lead to electoral success.

The results of this study will also make political parties aware of the public relations techniques that may be used to foster and maintain understanding amongst the various publics.

The results of this study will also help a politician stand out from the competition and get through image and reputation management issues.

The results of this study will also be useful to the electorate, particularly in the area of political parties' corporate social responsibility.

The results of this study will aid in better educating, sensitizing, mobilizing, and entertaining the electorate.     

Finally, in terms of academic work, the results of this study will be used as a source of information by researchers doing related investigations in the future. It will rightfully inspire more interest in advancing current studies.

1.5 Delimitation of the study

          The study will cover the application of public relations in managing political activities a case of study of Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria.

1.6 Limitation of the Study

          The researcher encountered the following logistical and physical constraints in addition to financial and time constraints. Access to information and materials that would have aided in producing a higher-quality and more dependable piece of work was denied to the researcher.

Additionally, the researcher had a tough time finding the registered Nigerian political parties' offices in the states under investigation.

There are too many politicians in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, Nigeria, making it difficult and expensive for researchers to visit each one of their residences.

Finally, the majority of the issued questionnaires had incomplete or partial responses. Repeat visits to those he gave questionnaires to cost the researcher a lot of time and money.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

Politics:Politics is the set of activities involved with group decision-making or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as resource distribution or status.

Political Party:A political party is an organization that organizes candidates to run in elections in a certain country. It is usual for members of a political party to possess similar political beliefs, and parties may advocate certain ideological or policy goals. It might alternatively be characterized as an organization having human, financial, material, and method resources that operates within a time frame set by the political system to govern political authority.

Political Campaign:A political campaign is an organized attempt by a political party or candidate for public office to gain voter support in an election.

Political activities:Political activities, as defined in this study, are actions taken by individuals in the hope of influencing the government (for example, policy-making, elections, political parties, government officials, and government actions).

Public Relations:Public relations is a positive and systematic strategy of using actions and communications to influence people's attitudes, opinions, beliefs, interests, and behaviors in a given or desired direction, as well as to build long-term credibility and reputation for individuals and corporate entities such as for-profit or non-profit organizations, as well as nations, states, local governments, or communities.