Discourse of Resistance through Digital Activism: A Rhetorical Criticism of Nigerian Politics

Amid widespread disillusionment marked by governance failure, insecurity, and economic hardship, many ordinary Nigerians turned to social media as a space for political resistance. The present article explores the ways in which citizens engaged digital platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), to contest power and reframe the national political discourse during the 2023 presidential elections. Drawing on purposively selected posts, messages, and texts, the study interrogates how Nigerians deployed language as a tool of resistance against dominant political narratives. Anchored in Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the article identifies four key strategies employed in this digital resistance: (1) emotive appeals and affective language, (2) strategic discursive maneuvering, (3) rejection of the (ab)normal, and (4) propaganda and counter-narratives. In mapping these discursive acts, the article foregrounds the agency of citizens in shaping political meanings.