Keywords
semiotics
political memes
presidential election
multimodal discourse analysis
Abstract
This paper explored metaphoric language and meaning-making in Nigerian political memes through a multimodal discourse analysis of the metaphor “glory” in the context of the meme circulated during the Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election. Anchored on Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Social Identity Theory, the research treated political memes as multimodal texts in which linguistic, visual, and religious semiotic resources interact to construct ideological meanings and exercise symbolic power. The analysis of the selected meme shows how “glory” traditionally associated with Christian notions of divine favour and destiny is recontextualized to frame electoral choice as a moral and spiritual risk. The meme illustrated how religious discourse is appropriated to legitimize political claims, regulate voter behaviour, and naturalize ideological authority within Nigeria’s highly religious sociopolitical space. The study revealed that Nigerian political memes function as powerful multimodal instruments that fuse religion and politics, transforming political participation into a site of moral accountability and ideological control. This paper contributes to sociolinguistics and discourse studies by demonstrating how digital political memes function as powerful tools of persuasion in Nigerian political discourse.
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