By
1Muhammad, Babangida
Muhammad & 2Abubakar Umar Mahmud
1Department of English,
Modibbo Adama University, Yola
2Department of English,
College for Legal Studies, Yola
Corresponding author’s email and Phone No: m.babangidamuhammad@mau.edu.ng, 08037352851
Abstract
This study investigates ideological underpinnings in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s State of
Emergency Declaration on Rivers State. It examines how linguistic
choices in the speech are used to construct authority, urgency, and ideological
positioning. Using Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as the primary
theoretical framework and incorporating insights from Critical Discourse Analysis
(CDA), the study analyzes mood, modality, and tone to uncover the ideological
stance embedded in the declaration. A qualitative approach was adopted, with
the speech broken down into clauses and categorized based on mood type
(declarative, imperative, interrogative), modality (low, medium, high
certainty), and tone (assertive, neutral, uncertain, supported by frequency
counts). Findings reveal a dominance of declarative mood (98%), high-certainty
modality (57.1%), and assertive tone (92%), reinforcing the President’s
authoritative stance and ideological framing. The integration of CDA further
highlights how linguistic choices are used to legitimize executive power, frame
the crisis, and establish dominance over the political narrative. The study contributes
to theory, by linking SFL and CDA in political discourse analysis, to practice
by informing political speechwriting, and to policy by highlighting the role of
language in crisis management. It underscores how leaders use linguistic
strategies to assert control and justify interventions, offering a model for
analyzing governance rhetoric.in crisis situations.
Keywords:
Critical Discourse Analysis, Mood and Modality, Political Discourse, Systemic
Functional Linguistics, State of Emergency.
Introduction
Political discourse plays
a crucial role in shaping governance, influencing public perception, and
legitimizing executive decisions. Political leaders strategically deploy
linguistic resources such as mood, modality, and tone to construct authority,
justify policy actions, and advance ideological positions (Fairclough, 2003;
Van Dijk, 2009). This strategic use of language becomes particularly salient in
state of emergency declarations, where discourse is mobilized to convey
urgency, consolidate executive power, and frame crises within specific
ideological narratives (Wodak, 2001). In the Nigerian context, emergency
political speeches are deeply embedded in broader socio-political realities,
including governance challenges, security threats, and constitutional tensions,
all of which shape how authority and legitimacy are discursively constructed
(Adisa et al., 2018; Akinmoladun et al., 2022).
Despite the recognized
importance of mood, modality, and tone in political communication, much of the
existing scholarship has focused on media discourse or routine political
rhetoric (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014; Eggins, 2004) with limited
attention to crisis-driven executive declarations. This study addresses this
gap by examining President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s State of Emergency Declaration
on Rivers State on 18 March 2025 through the combined lenses of Systemic
Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). By
segmenting the speech into clauses and analyzing linguistic patterns using frequency
and percentage distributions, the study explores how language is used to
construct authority, signal urgency, and embed ideological meanings, thereby
contributing to scholarship on political discourse, emergency governance, and
crisis communication in Nigeria.
Statement of the Problem
Previous studies explored the ideological function of language
in political texts, modality
and tone as markers of persuasion, and linguistic framing such as Saleem et
al. (2023) on mood types, Abdurrahman et al. (2023) on modality markers and
research on tone by Pipal et al. (2024). While these studies contribute to our
understanding of political
discourse in Nigeria, there is inadequate research examining mood, modality, and tone in
Nigerian political leaders’ speeches during emergency declarations,
particularly that of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s State of Emergency Declaration on
Rivers State. Therefore, this study fills this gap by applying Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)
and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to analyze how linguistic choices in the speech construct
authority, urgency, and ideological positioning.
Literature
Review
This study is grounded in
political communication and linguistic analysis, drawing largely on Systemic
Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Halliday
(1994) established SFL as a framework for examining language in social contexts,
particularly through the interpersonal metafunction, where mood, modality, and
tone shape relations between speakers and audiences. While his work provides
the theoretical foundation for analyzing the construction of authority in
political language, it does not focus directly on political speeches, creating
the need for applied studies in this area.
Building on Halliday,
Eggins (2004) examined modality and tone as indicators of speaker commitment
and persuasion, showing how high modality reinforces authority in political and
media discourse. Similarly, Fairclough (2003), using CDA, demonstrated how
political actors employ certainty and evaluative language to advance
ideological positions. However, Eggins’ work is not centered on crisis-driven
political communication, and Fairclough does not systematically analyze mood
and modality using SFL, leaving a methodological gap that this study addresses
by combining SFL and CDA.
Other scholars have
examined language and ideology in political and media texts. Adisa et al.
(2018) showed how linguistic framing in Nigerian newspaper reports on
corruption shapes public perception. However, their focus was on media
discourse rather than political speeches. Studies such as Saleem et al. (2023)
on mood types in political-military speeches and Abdurrahman et al. (2023) on
modality markers in political speeches confirm that declarative mood and modal
auxiliaries are central to authority construction and persuasion. Research on
tone by Pipal et al. (2024), however, suggests that political tone varies
widely and is not always systematically linked to ideology or context.
Overall, existing
literature confirms that mood, modality, and tone are crucial in constructing
political authority and ideology, but few studies focus specifically on
crisis-driven speeches such as state of emergency declarations. This study
fills that gap by analyzing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s State of Emergency
Declaration, examining how mood, modality, and tone function to construct
authority, urgency, and ideological positioning through a combined quantitative
and qualitative SFL-based analysis.
Theoretical
Framework
This study is anchored in
Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as proposed by Halliday (1994). SFL
explains language in terms of its social and communicative functions. It
identifies three metafunctions of language: ideational, interpersonal, and
textual (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014). The focus of this study is the
interpersonal metafunction, which accounts for how speakers establish
relationships, express attitudes, and project authority (Eggins, 2004). In
political discourse, interpersonal resources such as mood, modality, and tone
are crucial for constructing power relations and advancing ideological
positions (Fairclough, 2003). The mood system categorizes clauses into
declarative, imperative, and interrogative forms, reflecting communicative
intentions, while modality expresses degrees of certainty, obligation, and
possibility through modal expressions such as must, will, and
can (Halliday, 1994; Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014). Tone further
reflects the speaker’s stance, shaping how messages are interpreted and
legitimized by audience (Martin & White, 2005).
To complement the
structural insights of SFL, this study incorporates Critical Discourse Analysis
(CDA) to interrogate the ideological dimensions of language use. CDA examines
how discourse reproduces power relations and encodes ideology within specific social
contexts (Fairclough, 2003; Van Dijk, 2006). In emergency political
declarations, leaders often deploy high-certainty modality and assertive tone
to justify decisions, manage public response, and minimize dissent (Wodak,
2001). By integrating SFL and CDA, this study provides a systematic analysis of
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s State of Emergency Declaration on Rivers State,
showing how mood, modality, and tone function together to construct authority,
urgency, and ideological framing.
Methodology
Adopting a qualitative, descriptive, and interpretive
approach with support of frequency counts, the study seeks to uncover the ideological underpinnings and
communicative intent embedded in the selected speech. The data
consists of the full text of
the declaration, obtained from statehouse.gov.ng, and broken down
into clauses for
detailed linguistic analysis. Each clause was categorized based on its mood type (declarative,
interrogative, imperative), modality (low, medium, or high certainty), and tone
(assertive, neutral, or uncertain) to systematically identify the
dominant linguistic patterns. The analysis follows Halliday’s (1994) SFL framework,
particularly its focus on interpersonal
meaning, alongside CDA’s
perspective on power and ideology.
Data
Presentation and Analysis
This section presents the findings from the
linguistic analysis of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s State of Emergency
Declaration on Rivers State. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)
and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study examines mood, modality, and
tone to reveal the ideological meanings embedded in the speech. The data were segmented
into clauses and analyzed using frequency tables and percentage distributions,
with representative samples presented below.
Text 1: “Fellow
Nigerians, I feel greatly disturbed at the turn we have come to regarding the
political crisis in Rivers State. Like many of you, I have watched with concern
the development with the hope that the parties involved would allow good sense
to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burned out without any solution to
the crisis.”
Table 1: Mood, Modality and Tone Analysis
|
Clause |
Mood
Type |
Modality
(Level) |
Tone |
|
Fellow
Nigerians, I feel greatly disturbed at the turn we have come to regarding the
political crisis in Rivers State. |
Declarative |
|
High
Certainty |
|
Like
many of you, I have watched with concern the development with the hope that
the parties involved would allow good sense to prevail at the soonest. |
Declarative |
would (Medium) |
Medium
Certainty |
|
But all
that hope burned out without any solution to the crisis. |
Declarative |
|
High
Certainty |
In the above text analysis, declarative moods
were used, indicating factual statements with only one modal (would) found,
indicating medium certainty. The prevalent use of high certainty tone indicates that the president
used assertive and authoritative tone.
Text 2: “With the
crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we have all
fought and worked for over the years, can thrive in a way that will redound to
the benefit of the good people of the state. The state has been at a standstill
since the crisis started, with the good people of the state not being able to
have access the dividends of democracy.”
Table 2:
Mood, Modality and Tone Analysis
|
Clause |
Mood
Type |
Modality
(Level) |
Tone |
|
With the crisis persisting, there is no way
democratic governance can thrive… |
Declarative |
can (Medium) |
Medium
Certainty |
|
The
state has been at a standstill since the crisis started |
Declarative |
|
High
Certainty |
|
with
the good people of the state not being able to have… |
Declarative |
|
High
Certainty |
In text 2, the president used declarative
moods to convey factual statements with only one modal (can) found, expressing
medium certainty. The president used both medium and high certainty tones to indicate that neutal,
assertive and authoritative stand.
Text
3: “Also, it is public knowledge that the Governor of Rivers State for
unjustifiable reasons, demolished the House of Assembly of the state as far
back as 13th December 2023 and has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after,
not rebuilt same. I have made personal interventions between the contending
parties for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, but my efforts have been
largely ignored by the parties to the crisis. I am also aware that many
well-meaning Nigerians, Leaders of thought and Patriotic groups have also
intervened at various times with the best of intentions to resolve the matter,
but all their efforts were also to no avail. Still, I thank them.”
Table 3: Mood, Modality and Tone Analysis
|
Clause |
Mood
Type |
Tone |
|
it is public knowledge that the Governor of Rivers
State, for unjustifiable reasons, demolished….. |
Declarative |
High
Certainty |
|
and
has, up until now, fourteen (14) months after, not rebuilt same |
Declarative |
High
Certainty |
|
I have
made personal interventions between the contending parties for a peaceful
resolution of the crisis |
Declarative |
High
Certainty |
|
but my efforts have been largely
ignored by the parties to the crisis |
Declarative |
High Certainty |
|
I am
also aware that many well-meaning Nigerians, Leaders of thought and Patriotic
groups have also intervened at various times with the best of intentions to
resolve the matter |
Declarative |
High
Certainty |
|
but all
their efforts were also to no avail |
Declarative |
High
Certainty |
|
Still,
I thank them |
Declarative |
High
Certainty |
Here, the president used declarative moods
in all the text to convey factual statements. The president used only high certainty tone to indicate assertive and
authoritative stand.
Table 4: Summary of Mood, Modality and Tone Categories
|
Category |
Frequency |
Percentage
(%) |
|
Mood
Types |
||
|
Declarative |
49 |
98% |
|
Imperative |
01 |
02% |
|
Interrogative |
00 |
00% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
|
Modality |
||
|
Low
Certainty |
01 |
7.1% |
|
Medium
Certainty |
O5 |
35.7% |
|
High
Certainty |
08 |
57.1% |
|
Total |
14 |
100% |
|
Tone |
||
|
Low
Certainty |
00 |
00% |
|
Medium
Certainty |
04 |
08% |
|
High
Certainty |
46 |
92% |
|
Total |
50 |
100% |
The analysis of mood types reveals a
strong preference for declarative
sentences (98%), indicating an assertive and formal tone, with
minimal use of imperatives (2%)
and no interrogatives. This suggests that the speech is primarily focused on
delivering statements rather than commanding or questioning. Regarding modality, the
distribution shows that high
certainty expressions (57.1%) dominate, reflecting a strong level
of conviction and authority. Medium
certainty (35.7%) is also present, allowing for some flexibility,
while low certainty (7.1%)
is the least frequent, showing that doubt or speculation is minimal. In terms
of tone certainty level,
the overwhelming presence of high
certainty tone (92%) reinforces the speaker’s confidence and
authoritative stance. Medium
certainty (8%) appears occasionally, while low certainty (0%) is absent,
emphasizing the firm and decisive nature of the speech. Overall, the speech is highly declarative, strongly
assertive, and delivered with a high degree of certainty, making
it a powerful and authoritative discourse.
Discussion of Results
In the findings, the
dominance of declarative mood
(98%) in President Tinubu’s speech reflects a preference for assertion and information-giving,
reinforcing authority and
control over the narrative. This supports Halliday’s (1994) argument that
declarative clauses are the default choice in political and formal discourse,
as they present statements as
facts rather than negotiable claims. Additionally, the absence of interrogative mood (0%)
suggests that the speech does not encourage dialogue or debate, but instead
delivers unilateral statements,
a strategy often used in crisis
communication to project decisiveness (Eggins, 2004). While
Saleem et al. (2023) report a high dominance of declarative mood, their
findings contrast with the present study’s near-total reliance on declaratives
(98%) and complete absence of interrogatives.
The modality analysis reveals that high-certainty expressions (57.1%)
dominate the speech, reinforcing the President’s executive authority by framing decisions as absolute
and non-negotiable. This supports Fairclough’s (2003) argument that high-modality expressions strengthen
political dominance by eliminating ambiguity or doubt. While medium-certainty modality (35.7%)
appears in cases where future
outcomes or conditions are implied, low-certainty modality (7.1%) is
almost nonexistent, further minimizing alternative perspectives or expressions of uncertainty.
However, Abdurrahman et al. (2023) emphasize the multifunctional and
pedagogical roles of modality in political speeches, not a dominance of high-certainty modality that
minimizes negotiation and ambiguity in an emergency context.
Similarly, the tone analysis
highlights an overwhelming high-certainty
tone (92%), indicating a deliberate attempt to assert dominance and persuade the audience,
with minimal room for
flexibility or opposition (Van Dijk, 2006). In contrast, the
present study finds a consistently high-certainty and assertive tone in
President Tinubu’s State of Emergency declaration, indicating a purposeful
linguistic strategy rather than random variation. Unlike Pipal et al.’s (2024)
conclusion that tone lacks systematic drivers across routine political discourse,
the findings here suggest that emergency political communication deliberately
concentrates on tonal certainty to project authority and decisiveness. This
contrast highlights the genre-specific nature of tone, showing that while tone
may appear unsystematic in legislative debates, it becomes ideologically
motivated and strategically controlled in crisis-driven executive discourse.
From a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) perspective,
the linguistic choices in the speech reveal underlying ideological intentions. The
combination of declarative
mood, high-certainty modality, and assertive tone constructs a
narrative in which the crisis is portrayed as unavoidable and requiring immediate intervention.
This aligns with Van Dijk’s
(2006) argument that political leaders craft crisis narratives that justify their actions as
necessary and inevitable. Furthermore, the speech’s one-sided framing, with
no alternative viewpoints, reinforces a top-down exercise of power. These findings demonstrate
that linguistic choices in
emergency political discourse are not neutral but serve strategic functions,
allowing leaders to shape
public perception, justify executive decisions, and reinforce authority.
Conclusion
This study examines the ideological underpinnings
in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s State
of Emergency Declaration on Rivers State, using Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Critical
Discourse Analysis (CDA) to analyze mood, modality, and tone. The findings
reveal a dominance of
declarative mood (98%) and high-certainty modality (57.1%), reinforcing the
President’s assertive and
authoritative stance. The speech strategically eliminates interrogatives and low-certainty
expressions, framing the crisis as urgent and requiring decisive intervention.
These linguistic choices align with CDA’s perspective on power and ideology, demonstrating
how political discourse is structured to legitimize executive actions and establish control over governance
narratives. By integrating SFL and CDA, this study contributes to the understanding
of how political leaders use
language to construct authority and shape public perception. It
highlights the role of
linguistic strategies in political crisis communication, offering
insights for political
analysts, media practitioners, and policymakers.
Suggestions
for Future Research
1. Future
research should compare similar speeches from different political figures or
administrations to explore cross-contextual
variations in mood, modality, and tone.
2. A longitudinal study
can be conducted to analyze speeches over time to investigate how linguistic
strategies evolve in response to shifting
political climates, crises, or public reception.
3. Future research should
incorporate audience reception
studies to assess how different demographics interpret and react
to declarative-heavy, high-certainty political discourse.
4. Examining how mood, modality, and tone
function in different languages and cultures would deepen our understanding of universal vs. context-specific
linguistic strategies in political discourse.
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This article is published in ALQALAM: A Journal of Language and Literary Studies, FUGUS, Volume 1, Issue 2 - June 2026
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