Multimodal Analysis of Post-election Memes in the Edo State (Nigeria) 2020 Gubernatorial Election

Abstract

Although several studies have investigated the deployment of memes in political discourse, a multimodal analysis of how the electoral situation and the political traits of political actors are humorously conveyed in post-election memes on the 2020 Edo State (Nigeria) gubernatorial election is a novel scholarly inquiry. This article uses the resources of socio-semiotic theory of multimodality, incongruity and superiority theories of humour and self-leadership strategies to analyse nine purposively selected memes which were retrieved from Facebook and a news blog. The analysis shows the use of behaviour-focused strategies, self-reward strategies, and constructive thought strategies to clamour against external political influence, intervention and godfatherism in the politics of component states of Nigeria. This political expression is achieved through humour techniques such as sarcasm, punning, exaggeration and intertextuality, and through semiotic resources such as gaze, gesture, setting and props.