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  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">BJAR</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>British Journal of Advanced Research</journal-title>
        <abbrev-journal-title>BJAR</abbrev-journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
            <issn pub-type="epub">3153-709X</issn>
            <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Ivory and Finch Publishers</publisher-name>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>

    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.68263/BJAR-TUCRWNVH</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">BJAR_SEP_26_083</article-id>

      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Original Research Article</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>

      <title-group>
        <article-title>Coalition Communication and Governance in Rivers State: A Study of Political Realignment and Rainbow Politics</article-title>
      </title-group>

      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
                        <surname>George Ogazi Mani</surname>
            <given-names>EZE,</given-names>
          </name>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6765-6123</contrib-id>
                    <aff>Department of Mass Communication, Faculty of Humanities, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education,  Port Harcourt, Nigeria</aff>
          <email>george.eze@iaue.edu.ng</email>
        </contrib>
              </contrib-group>

            <pub-date pub-type="epub">
        <day>10</day>
        <month>10</month>
        <year>2026</year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>1</volume>
      <issue>4</issue>
      
      
            <self-uri xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.68263/BJAR-TUCRWNVH"/>
      
      <abstract>
        <p>This study explored the dynamics of coalition communication and governance in Rivers State, focusing specifically on political realignment and the concept of Rainbow Politics. It was driven by four main objectives. A qualitative research approach was employed, gathering data through semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. A critical case purposive sampling technique was used to select a diverse group of political actors, party officials, journalists, political analysts, and other stakeholders who possess valuable insights into coalition politics in Rivers State. The data were analysed thematically, aligning with the research objectives. The findings indicated that political consultations, negotiations, public speeches, media interactions, and strategic messaging are key communication tools for both forming and sustaining coalitions. Additionally, the study found that political communication plays a crucial role in explaining and legitimising political realignment by crafting narratives centered on unity, cooperation, and shared interests. Coalition politics was shown to significantly influence governance, decision-making, and accountability, while Rainbow Politics carries important implications for political stability and democratic inclusiveness. The study concludes that coalition communication is an ongoing strategic process through which political actors negotiate interests, build legitimacy, rally support, and manage their political relationships. The Spectrum Coalition Model serves as a fitting framework for understanding these complex processes of political alignment, realignment, and coalition governance in Rivers State.</p>
      </abstract>

            <kwd-group kwd-group-type="author-keywords">
                <kwd>Coalition Communication</kwd>
                <kwd>Governance</kwd>
                <kwd>Political Realignment</kwd>
                <kwd>Rainbow Politics</kwd>
                <kwd>Spectrum Coalition Model.</kwd>
              </kwd-group>
      
      <history>
        <date date-type="received">
          <day>30</day>
          <month>09</month>
          <year>2026</year>
        </date>
                <date date-type="accepted">
          <day>05</day>
          <month>10</month>
          <year>2026</year>
        </date>
              </history>

      <permissions>
        <copyright-statement>Copyright &copy; 2026 by the authors</copyright-statement>
        <license license-type="open-access">
          <license-p>This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.</license-p>
        </license>
      </permissions>

    </article-meta>
  </front>

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