Vol. 14 (2025)
Language and Law

Forum: Comments and Reviews

A Pragma-Linguistic Interpretation of Legal Communication: A Study of Sections 133 and 134 of the Nigerian Constitutional Provisions for Presidential Election

Published 07.05.2025

  • AJENIFARI J.T.
    • ,
  • Dr. OMOTUNDE Samuel Adabayo
    • ,
  • Dr. OBOKO U .

AJENIFARI J.T.
Kogi State University, Kabba, Kogi State

Dr. OMOTUNDE Samuel Adabayo
Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Dr. OBOKO U .
Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Legal communication, particularly in constitutional texts, is said to be characterized by its precision, formality, and strategic use of language. However, this precision often coexists with ambiguities that invite diverse interpretations, particularly in highly charged political contexts. This study examines the pragma-linguistic features of Sections 133 and 134 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, focusing on the presuppositions and implicatures embedded within these provisions. Using an utterance-by-utterance analytical approach, the study investigates how the linguistic nuances of these sections formed the basis for legal arguments/turssles and political narratives across the nation during the 2023 Nigerian presidential election involving Tinubu and Obi. Drawing on theories of presupposition and implicature, the analysis uncovers the implicit assumptions and inferred meanings encoded in the constitutional language. The findings reveal how the stylo-linguistic choices in legal drafting, such as presuppositions, can form the interpretive basis in legal disputations. It also reveals how implicatures arising from legal texts can create rooms for legal contestation and generate political discourse in a nation. In general, the study further shows how the pragmatic elements of legal language may influence judicial interpretations, public discourse as well as the acceptability or rejection of an electoral outcome. This research underscores the interpretive inevitability of pragma-linguistic instrumentality to the analysis and interpretation of legal texts particularly in contexts where constitutional provisions intersect with political controversies. By illuminating the implicit dimensions of legal communication, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how language mediates legal reasoning and democratic governance, offering insights for both linguistic scholarship and legal/constitutional endeavors.

Cite as: Ajenifari et al., JLL 14 (2025), F7–F23, DOI: 10.14762/jll.2025.F7

Keywords

pragmatics, legal communication, presupposition, implicature, politics, constitutional interpretation

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Author Biography

AJENIFARI J.T.

Senior Lecturer, Department of English and Literary Studies

Dr. OMOTUNDE Samuel Adabayo

Senior Lecturer,  Department of English and Literary Studies, 

Dr. OBOKO U .

Department of English and Literary Studies, 

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