DISAMBIGUATION OF POLITICAL DISCOURSE: A STUDY OF POLITICS TODAY ON CHANNELS TELEVISION

Abstract

This study examines ambiguity in Nigerian political interviews, focusing on Channels Television's "Politics Today" program. It uses a qualitative approach based on discourse analysis to examine how ambiguity is introduced, addressed, and disambiguated in televised political discourse. The theoretical framework is grounded in a socio-pragmatics approach, incorporating theories of disambiguation, audience interpretation, and rhetorical framing to examine how ambiguators and disambiguators operate in televised political discourse. The data include seven recorded episodes, broadcast between February 17 and 24, 2025, transcribed verbatim and anonymised for analysis. The research identifies functions and strategies through discourse analytical coding, which identifies the roles of both interviewer and interviewees. The study found clarifying questions, contextual references, emotional appeals, and rhetorical questions, which promote specificity and accountability as interviewer’s strategies while interviewees, were found to use ambiguity to avoid concrete commitments, preserve party unity, and manage public perception, often through vague or emotionally charged statements. The study concluded that while disambiguation can increase clarity and commitment, it also has manipulative potential. This study contributes to theories of political communication and have implications for media literacy and governance in Nigeria.