Abstract

The study focuses on the use of social media in the 2015/2019 general elections in Nigeria. The study focuses on how the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) and APC (All Progressive Congress) made use of social media in political mobilization, political communication and spreading information in the two general elections. In the course of the study, several literatures and researches about the elections and use of social media in Nigeria were studied to get different perspectives of how the political parties made use of several social media platforms in their political campaigns. Based on the study it was found out that both parties made use of twitter more than any other platform for political mobilization, communication and campaign. The use of party sponsored hashtags was prevalent in the political process while social media influencers were majorly used by party officials. False propagandas shared by both political parties were prevalent in the political process using social media as the appropriate tool. Social media was also used by supporters of both parties, civil societies, electorates and the electoral commission to monitor the electoral processes in the different polling areas. Keywords: Social media, general election, Twitter, democracy, communication, political mobilization . DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/96-09 Publication date: July 31 st 2021

Highlights

  • Since the evolution of the 17th century, the use of election has become one of the most important activities in a democratic government

  • The study focuses on how the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) (Peoples Democratic Party) and APC (All Progressive Congress) made use of social media in political mobilization, political communication and spreading information in the two general elections

  • Social media was used by supporters of both parties, civil societies, electorates and the electoral commission to monitor the electoral processes in the different polling areas

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Summary

Introduction

Since the evolution of the 17th century, the use of election has become one of the most important activities in a democratic government. In the 2015 and 2019 general election, the two leading political parties known as All Progressive Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) made use of several tools of social media for effective electioneering campaign with the purpose to achieve political communication, mobilization and support towards gaining political power. This Research work is set to critically study the role of social media in contemporary democracy by making a comparative study of use of social media by APC and PDP for campaigns during the 2015 and 2019 general elections in Nigeria

Literature review
Elections
Social media and political communication
Social media and political mobilization
Theoretical framework
Analysis and result
Overview of politics in Nigeria
Social Media use in 2015 General Elections
Social Media use in 2019 General Elections
Result
Full Text
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