Giving a Dog a Bad Name: The Strategic Use of Labelling in Contemporary Nigerian Political Discourse

Abstract

In Nigeria, political actors, especially those in the ruling and opposition political parties, utilise labelling as a rhetorical strategy to characterise each other in negative and face-threatening ways and achieve positive self-presentation before the public. The aim of this article is to contribute to existing literature on political communication through an investigation of labelling as a discursive political strategy and a mechanism for understanding Nigeria’s sociopolitical dynamics. We adopt Culpeper’s theory of impoliteness to foreground labelling as a relationship of power which is an aggravating facework rooted in interactional behaviour. Data for this study were purposively sampled from online newspaper articles which were published between 2015 and 2020. We conclude that Nigerian politicians use labelling as a face-saving strategy to showcase themselves to their best advantage and to discredit or attack their opponents. Therefore, while labelling may create positive or negative emotional reactions, it can also serve as a face-threatening act or a face-maintaining act, articulating opposing ideologies aimed to deceive, gain advantage, or simplify politics.