Abstract
<p>Political communication during elections has increasingly shifted to digital spaces, with political memes emerging as a dominant form of citizen-generated content. This study examined political memes as participatory rhetoric for voter mobilisation during elections in Nigeria. Anchored on Participatory Rhetoric Theory, Framing Theory and Agenda-Setting Theory, the study adopted the library research method. Findings revealed memes framed candidates as “heroes,” “villains” or “incompetent” and such affective frames recorded the highest engagement and correlated significantly with turnout intention. Thematic analysis also showed that viral memes set the agenda for peer political discussion by foregrounding issues such as youth inclusion and insecurity. Thus, the study concluded that political memes function as participatory rhetorical artefacts that simplify electoral issues, foster in-group solidarity and mobilise first-time and apathetic voters beyond elite-controlled campaign channels. However, the circulation of satirical misinformation within memes poses risks to informed participation.</p>