Social media in Nigeria has played a significant role in how citizens receive information, interact with government officials, interrogate their actions, pressurise them and demand better from them. These platforms have been able to relay the pulse of the nation to the elected officials on different issues as it affects the citizens at home and in the diaspora.
The Data retrieved from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows that over a hundred million people currently pay for mobile internet subscriptions in the country. This means that there is a significant number of Nigerians who can access mobile internet daily and spur conversations around social issues faster. If the Osun State election (and rerun) is anything to go by, Nigerians are now leveraging their access to the internet and several social media platforms to draw attention to issues such as electoral discrepancies and demand for better.
As the 2019 general elections draw closer, social media will once again serve as an important tool for voter education and key campaign exercises amongst candidates.
Social media and the 2015 election.
In the build up to the 2015 general elections in Nigeria, different campaigns dominated the conversation across social media. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp shaped opinions, changed narratives, contributed to viral campaigns and monitored election results from the various situation rooms across the country.
One thing that stood out was the opposition party’s campaign slogan, Change. StateCraft Inc was the PR firm that handled President Buhari’s social media campaign during the election and, under the leadership of Debola Williams and Chude Jideonwo, this youth-dominated PR firm was able to change people’s perception of Buhari from an oppressive military ruler to a reformed democrat, and this helped to drive acceptance for Buhari beyond his core northern base.
In recognition of the pivotal role social media played during his election, President Buhari reportedly thanked his campaign influencers on social media, noting its vast influence on the results and the general atmosphere at the end of the elections.
In the aftermath of the 2015 polls, Nigerians witnessed a change in their elected officials, with more of them adopting the use of various social media platforms to engage their constituents. One official in particular, Senator Ben Bruce, has attained notoriety on social media for his “common sense series,” where he challenged his constituents (and indeed the rest of the country) to take a more active role in determining the activities of the federal legislature. Another Senator (and current President of the Senate) Bukola Saraki has used his social media handles to keep Nigerians abreast of the National Assembly victories, while the Vice President of the country, Yemi Osinbajo, has utilised his handle to serve as a medium to inform and educate Nigerians on this administration’s policy drive, such as the “Ease of doing business campaign in Nigeria.”
Social media and 2019 election.
To make sense of the increasing number of Nigerians using social media and what it means for 2019 general election, we had a conversation with ace broadcaster, Tolulope Adeleru Balogun, and social media expert, Rosemary Ajayi, and they both explained the important roles social media could play in the 2019 elections.
Come 2019, social media will enhance the campaign for “voter education, crowd-sourcing solutions on election day and independent election monitoring,” says Rosemary.
Similarly, Tolulope Balogun believes that: “Social media exposes the aspirant and their message to an audience that may not be their electorate, but can help influence them. Between retweets, reach and influencers, the potential to shape a narrative or the perception of a candidate is strong,” she says. Furthermore, she added: “While I don’t believe social media cannot said to be solely responsible for election success, I think it can play a massive part in election failure and success, candidates can use social media to articulate plans and take a stand on issues.”
How to battle the scourge of fake news in the 2019 election.
Knowing that fake news and misinformation can have great impact in an election, as witnessed in the 2013 and 2017 elections in Kenya, fake news merchants find this time the best to peddle their goods by spreading false and unverifiable news to advance their selfish interest.
Curbing the ugly trend of fake news will be one of Nigeria’s greatest challenges as the election date draws closer. So, how do we tackle the issues surrounding fake news as Nigeria prepare for 2019 election?
Tolulope Balogun believes that “Citizens need to use tools available to them to verify stories and pictures. We need to call out politicians who use fake news to discredit others or to prop themselves up. Bloggers and citizen journalists, while not professional journalists, need to be more circumspect in “breaking news” and sharing stories, they got from sources. Fake news is everyone’s responsibility because the implications are real and will happen in the real world,” she says.
Social Media Censorship and 2019 election.
Senator Bala Ibn Allah presented a bill titled: The Frivolous Petitions (Prohibition, etc.) Bill to the Nigerian Senate in 2015 which bore the tacit implication of discouraging the anti-corruption campaign. The bill immediately provoked the ire of the Nigerian public who considered it an attempt to tamper with their freedom of expression and use of social media platforms. The bill, however, passed its first two readings amid agitations by Nigerians.
In an attempt to discourage further consideration of the bill, Media and civil society organisations protested against it, tagging it the “Anti-Social Media Bill.” Following these protests, the National Assembly withdrew the bill and suspended further consideration on it.
This act raised the fear of social media censorship across Nigeria, as the 2019 election date draws closer. Tolulope Balogun, however, is more optimistic. “Social media censorship will be difficult achieve in Nigeria, but it doesn’t mean it won’t be tried. Websites will likely receive requests for tracking accounts and IP addresses. Citizens will have to be accountable for what they tweet or post. How it may be attempted, I’m not so sure yet, but I think attempts will be made. We saw the death of the anti-social media bill, but that by no means is the end of state attempts to regulate the space,” she said.
As the campaigns intensify and the election date draws closer. It is important to note that social media will once again be at the centre of political campaigns across Nigeria; candidates will use social media to shape narratives about themselves, sell their manifestos, and reach out to a larger percentage of the youth. The next set of leaders will be those who can use social media to their advantage, connect to the voters and get their votes next year.
