DIGITAL MISOGYNY AND POLITICAL POWER: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF THE #WEAREALLNATASHA AND #ISTANDWITHNATASHA CAMPAIGNS ON NIGERIAN SOCIAL MEDIA

Abstract

This study conducts a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the #WeAreAllNatasha and #IStandWithNatasha campaigns on Nigerian social media. These campaigns emerged following allegations of sexual harassment made by Nigerian Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The allegations resulted to her suspension from the Nigerian Senate, sparking media outrage. Acombination of Fairclough’s three-dimensional CDA model and Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) highlights how misogynistic language was deployed to delegitimize the senato ronline. The study draws on 150 publicly accessible social media posts from X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, from which 37 comments were purposively selected for detailedanalysis. The analysis reveals the systematic use of discursive strategies like gendered insults, sexualized narratives, and victim-blaming rhetoric. These strategies reinforce patriarchal power structures. The study concludes that digital platforms in Nigeria reproduce and amplify entrenched gender inequalities, positioning women in politics as targets of symbolic violence. It recommends the critical filtering of language in social media discussions bordering on politics to avoid encouraging misogyny.