Social Media Influence On Nigeria General Elections With Emphasis On Enugu State 2023 Governorship Election

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of social media in Nigeria elections with specific reflection from 2023 Enugu State Governorship election. The specific objectives of the study include: finding out roles the social media played in Nigerian political awareness and participation in the 2023 governorship elections; and identifying the depth and frequency of social media coverage on the success of curtailing election rigging and fraud. The study adopted survey method coupled with social media data gathered from the Nigeria general elections. These data were analyzed and two hypotheses tested using Chi Square and Simple Regression Analysis in SPSS version 21.The major findings revealed that social media played a significant role in Nigerian political awareness and participation in the just concluded 2023 governorship elections; and that the coverage of Nigeria's election through social media curtails election rigging and fraud. In line with the findings, it was recommended that the Electoral Act should be reviewed to provide specific guidelines on the use of social media in Nigeria’s future elections; the use of Electronic Card readers must be perfected to avoid technical hitches as experienced during the last elections; the  Independent Nigeria Electoral Commission (INEC) should establish a social media tracking center to monitor, collate, and interpret trends and reports during elections; and that the INEC, civil society organizations, and security agencies in the Country should establish modalities to systematically verify information reported by citizen observers through social media.