IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION STUDIES (IJELCS )

E-ISSN 2545-5702
P-ISSN 2695-2157
VOL. 10 NO. 1 2025
DOI: 10.56201/ijelcs.vol.10.no1.2025.pg62.73

---

Comparative Metafunction Analysis of Peter Obi and Bola Ahmed Tinubu's 2023 Online Presidential Campaigns

Moses Olusanya Ayoola

---

Abstract

This study explores the linguistic construction of political ideology and identity in the 2023 Nigerian presidential campaign advertisements of Peter Obi and Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Employing Halliday and Matthiessen’s (2014) Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) as the primary analytical framework, the study investigates the interpersonal, experiential, and textual metafunctions of selected campaign adverts. Findings reveal that Obi’s advertisements strategically deploy declarative moods, relational processes, and topical themes to position himself as a reformist and empathetic leader, inviting cognitive and ideological alignment from the electorate. Tinubu’s adverts, in contrast, emphasize material processes and imperative moods, constructing an identity rooted in action, pragmatism, and developmental leadership. The comparative metafunctional analysis underscores how both candidates’ linguistic choices reflect distinct political ideologies and campaign strategies. The study concludes that campaign advertisements in Nigeria’s political landscape serve as complex linguistic and semiotic instruments for constructing and projecting candidate identity, political ideology, and voter persuasion strategies

keywords:

Campaign, Metafunction Analysis, Mood and Modality, Transitivity, Theme, Political Ideology, Identity Construction, Nigerian Elections

---

References:

Adeyemi, A. (2023). Political Digital Advertising: Implications and Way Forward for Nigeria's
2023 General Elections. KIU Interdisciplinary Journal of Humanities and Social
Sciences, 4(1), 331–349.
Ayoola, M.O. & Babatunde, S.T. (2021) A Comparative analysis of mood and modality in
Goodluck Jonathan’s and Nuhu Ribadu's political advertisements in Niyi Osunbade,
et.al Ed Pragmatics, discourse and society: a festschrift for Akin Odebunmi. Cambridge
Scholars
Bassey A. U., Kente J. S., Akpede K. S. (2024), Assessment of Digital Campaign Strategies
Adopted by Presidential Candidates in the 2023 Nigerian Elections. African Journal of
Social
Sciences
and
Humanities
Research
7(2),
349-366.
DOI:
10.52589/AJSSHRDGT88AJ).
Chiluwa, I. (2010). The Discourse of Digital Deception and Manipulation: Nigerian Online
Political Campaign Messages. Discourse Studies, 12(1), 85-100.
Deterding, David. H. & Poedjosoedarmo, Gloria .(2001). Grammar of English. Second
Edition. Singapore: Prentice Hall.
Egbulefu, C.C. & Emeke, P.N. (2023). Political Digital Advertising: Implications and Way
forward for Nigeria's 2023 General Elections. KIU Interdisciplinary Journal of
Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(1), 331-349
Eggins, S. (1994). An introduction to systemic functional linguistics. London: Continuum,
Eggins, S. (2004). An introduction to systemic functional linguistics.(2nd edn) London:
Continuum,
Halliday, M.A.K. (1994). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London (2nd ed) Edward
Arnold
Halliday, M. & Matthiessen C. ( 2004). An introduction to functional grammar. (3rd. ed.)
London: Arnold.
Matthiessen, Christian M.I.M. (1995). Lexicogrammatical cartography English systems
Tokyo: International Language Sciences Publishers
Ojekwe, G. I. (2016). Political Advert Campaigns and Voting Behaviour: Akinwunmi Ambode’s
2015 Election Campaign in Lagos State. Journal of African Elections, 15(2), 13–32.
INEC Nigeria+3EISA+3ResearchGate+3
Omole, D. M., & Ogoala, B. (2024). A multimodal study of selected campaign posters of All
Progressives Congress presidential candidate in Nigerian 2023 general elections.
Informasi, 54(2), 105–114.
Opeibi, T. (2009). Discourse, Politics and the 1993 Presidential Election Campaigns in Nigeria.

DOWNLOAD PDF

---

Back