Campaign attacks account for the largest share of strategy tracked in Nigeria’s presidential race, while acclaims and defenses feature more prominently in governorship campaigns, according to the latest #TrackingNaija2027Elections analysis by CEREDEMS-Africa.
The analysis examined 426 campaign strategies across Nigerian newspapers (2024–2026), broadcast media (2025–2026) and social media (2026).
Campaign Strategy| Presidential| Governorship| National Assembly| State Assembly
Attacks (n=151)| 86.75%| 5.96%| 4.63%| 2.64%
Defenses (n=91)| 79.12%| 14.28%| 5.49%| 1.09%
Acclaims (n=184)| 73.36%| 19.56%| 6.53%| 0.54%
The presidential contest recorded the highest share across all three strategies, reflecting the greater volume of campaign-related attention around the race.
At the governorship level, however, acclaims at 19.56% and defenses at 14.28% were considerably more prominent than attacks at 5.96%, pointing to greater emphasis on promoting candidates and responding to criticism.
The National Assembly category showed a similar pattern, with acclaims at 6.53%, defenses at 5.49% and attacks at 4.63%. State Assembly campaigns recorded a different distribution, with attacks at 2.64% compared with 0.54% for acclaims.
CEREDEMS-Africa said the concentration of attacks around the presidential race could contribute to a more polarised campaign environment and urged political actors and media organisations to give greater attention to policy-based messaging and substantive responses.
Data Source: Nigerian Newspapers 2024–2026; Nigerian Broadcast Media 2025–2026; Social Media 2026.
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