Framing Political Persuasion: Discourse Analysis of Peter Obi's 2023 Presidential Campaign Messages on YouTube

Abstract

Background: The 2023 Nigerian presidential election marked a significant shift in the country's political landscape, heralding a period of electoral disaggregation where traditional party loyalty was superseded by policy-driven and candidate-centred decision-making. While socio-psychological factors are often cited as primary drivers of voter choice, these influences are fundamentally mediated through language and strategic framing on digital platforms. Objective: This study examines the persuasive frames and discursive strategies employed by Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign to influence voters and construct a credible political identity. Methodology: Adopting a qualitative descriptive-interpretative design, the research applied qualitative content analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), specifically utilising Fairclough’s three-dimensional model and Van Dijk’s ideological square. The data comprised 47 campaign speeches and interviews obtained from YouTube, selected for the platform's extensive reach and dominance in the Nigerian digital space. Results: The analysis revealed that Obi employed 13 distinct discursive strategies to present the ruling and previous governments negatively through corruption and responsibility frames. Conversely, he utilised the frames of stewardship, competence, nationalism, and the industrial revolution to present himself and his party in a positive light, successfully constructing an identity defined by honesty and credibility. The findings indicate that positive framing exerted a more significant persuasive influence on the electorate than negative framing. Conclusion: The study concludes that the persuasiveness of political campaign messages is predicated on the strategic framing of issues within the specific context of an election. By aligning political issues with the audience's socio-economic experiences and interests, candidates can effectively reshape voter attitudes toward governance.