A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF 2019 POLITICAL POSTERS OF THREE GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES IN IMOSTATE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper uses critical discourse analysis to unpackthe posters used in the 2019 gubernatorial electioneering campaigns in Imo State with a view to discovering the ideologies used to control the minds of the electorate towards giving the candidates a favourable support. Using purposive sampling technique, data were collected from the political posters of three gubernatorial candidates' posters in the election. Van Dijk’s Ideological Square is the theoretical framework that drives the study.Theanalysis reveals that some words, expressions and images which have ideological colouration are used by politicians in these posters to demonstrate political will and commitment so as to garner support for their political ambition. Significantly, this paper provides critical insights to the peculiar choices of words in political campaigns and affirms that lexical items and images are not just linguistic elements, but most importantly, ideological tools.