Paper short abstract:

This study explores memes and the Obedient Movement, a sociopolitical movement built around a politician in Nigeria.

Paper long abstract:

The Obedient Movement emerged in Nigeria in mid-2022 with the entry of Mr Peter Obi into the 2023 presidential election as the Labour Party standard-bearer, positioning him against entrenched political figures like Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress. Obi's candidacy galvanized a movement which became known as the "Obidients,". Through an ongoing 30-month digital ethnographic study (January 2023 to June 2025) in an Obidient WhatsApp group, I am investigating how memes serve as mnemonic devices, embedding narratives of political legitimacy that project a reimagined Nigerian polity. Preliminary findings suggest that WhatsApp memes operate as tools for anticipatory memory by portraying Peter Obi as the embodiment of a reimagined Nigeria. Repetitive meme-sharing creates a shared mnemonic reservoir that reinforces his image as a credible political alternative. However, this dynamic also entrenches ideological echo chambers, amplifying in-group cohesion at the expense of dialogue with dissenting voices. At the moment, I argue that these memes are potent mediators of anticipatory memory that craft political legitimacy while intensifying factional loyalty. The current findings reveal how digital practices shape the collective memory of future political possibilities, contributing to the polarized dynamics of Nigerian sociopolitical discourse.