International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: Social media has become a powerful tool for political mobilisation in recent years, with various political parties and groups utilising platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp to rally supporters and spread their messages. In Nigeria, social media has played a significant role in shaping the political landscape, particularly during election campaigns. The 2023 presidential election in Nigeria was a highly contested one, with various political parties vying for power. The Labour Party (LP) was one of the parties that sought to garner support for its candidate during the campaign period. Ebonyi state, located in the southeastern region of Nigeria had a significant number of LP supporters residing in the state.
Objectives: This study investigated the influence of of social media in mobilising LP supporters during the 2023 presidential election campaigns in Ebonyi state, Nigeria.
Methods: The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Questionnaire served as instrument for data collection. Generated data were analysed using Chi-square.
Results: Findings show high level of adoption and utilisation of social media for political communication and participation among the youths in the area. The various social media platforms, particularly, Facebook and Twitter (X) were massively used to support the Obi-dient Movement (Mr. Peter Obi of the LP). There were however, some cases of misuse of social media to disseminate fake news, hate speech and fake election results.
Conclusion: The study recommends social media education to enhance media literacy and enhance more responsible use of the platforms to advance the electoral and political processes in Nigeria.