Beyond Left and Right: What polarizes African politics in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya

This study re-examines the nature of political polarization in sub-Saharan Africa by challenging the applicability of Western left–right ideological frameworks to African democracies. Through a comparative qualitative analysis of Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, the research demonstrates that polarization in these states is predominantly affective rather than ideological, rooted in ascriptive identities, patronage networks, and historical institutional legacies, rather than in programmatic or policy-based contestation. Drawing on theories of historical institutionalism, elite–mass linkage, and digital clientelism, the paper traces how colonial state formation, winner-takes-all institutions, and clientelistic resource distribution have produced a zero-sum political logic in which control of the state equates to control of wealth. The study introduces the concept of Identity-Driven Affective Polarization (IDAP) to describe this dynamic, showing how elites weaponize ethnic and regional identities—now digitally amplified through social media—to sustain non-ideological yet emotionally charged divisions. Nevertheless, the findings also identify emerging tensions between a resilient clientelistic supply and an increasingly programmatic, youth-driven demand, exemplified by Nigeria’s 2023 “Obidient” movement. The paper concludes that mitigating polarization in African democracies requires structural reforms that reduce zero-sum incentives, strengthen institutional trust, and foster cross-cutting, issue-based civic coalitions.