A MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF POLITICAL APOLOGIES IN NIGERIAN MEDIA: DECONSTRUCTING LANGUAGE, GESTURE, AND VISUAL CUES

Abstract

This study performs a multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) of political apologies within Nigeria's media landscape, arguing that their effectiveness and public reception depend on the combined use of linguistic, gestural, and visual semiotics, rather than just verbal language. Given Nigeria's complex socio-political environment- where public apologies are common yet frequently perceived as insincere tactics- this research aims to analyse how meaning is created, negotiated, and perceived through various communication modes. It focuses on five recent case studies from Nigerian digital news outlets. Using a qualitative MDA framework based on Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2006) visual grammar, the study examines five excerpts from The Sun and The Guardian published from April 2023 to April 2025. Results show a pattern where discursive strategies like mitigation, deflection, and self-justification are either supported or contradicted by visual and gestural cues, often leading to public doubt. The research advances political discourse analysis by offering a framework for assessing political sincerity in contemporary media dominated discourse within post-colonial African democracies.