By Zulaiha Danjuma
It’s common to hear the older generation refer to Gen Z’s constant social media presence and interactions as a “waste of time” or “noise.” But this point of view was largely corrected during the last 2023 elections in Nigeria.
THE DEMOGRAPHICS: WHO’S ONLINE
Out of the roughly 38.7 to 47.8 million active social media users in Nigeria, young people remain the dominant user demographic, with 65% of all active social media users falling under the age of 35 years.
A common misinformation that has spread over the years in the Nigerian political class was that people on social media didn’t have Personal Voters Cards (PVCs) and as such their ‘rants’ were only going to start and die online.
CASE STUDY: THE OBIDIENT MOVEMENT AND LP 2023
However, when the Obidient Movement began, under the umbrella of the Labour Party (LP) it quickly made people realize that social media had much more power in advancing electoral discourse, mobilizing young voters and creating political structure beyond the already existing traditional political structures.
The Labour Party achieved a historic political surge during the 2023 general elections, winning the Governorship election in Abia State, securing 34 out of the 360 seats in the Federal House of Representatives and 39 State Assembly seats across the country. It was almost unbelievable to see a smaller and structurally weaker party carry so much public support that hugely translated to winning elections.
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These significant wins were largely tied to social media, particularly X, formerly Twitter. However, despite the massive success of the Labour Party in 2023 and its Obidient Movement, it was still largely a hastily assembled third force vehicle with wide-scale organic public support but it virtually had no deep-rooted institutional structure; except for social media which it largely relied on leading up to the 2023 elections.
THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
Despite the massive success recorded by the Labour Party in the 2023 election, which was heavily reliant on youth mobilization on social media, there was enormous aggressive cyber-bullying targeted at critics of the party’s presidential candidate. There was also disinformation propaganda where doctored videos, false endorsement claims, and manipulated polling data favoring the Labour Party were widely shared across X, WhatsApp, and TikTok to build momentum and paint an image of an inevitable victory.
Social Media, if used appropriately, has massive potential towards creating systemic changes in the political structure. However, it equally holds great risks to destabilizing electoral processes.
DEBUNKING TWO COMMON MISINFORMATIONS
1. The incumbent always retains the seat:
According to historic evidence, in the Kano State April 19, 2003 elections, the then sitting Governor under the PDP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, lost his re-election as incumbent Governor of the state to Ibrahim Shekarau of the ANPP.
At the time, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was the ruling party in Nigeria, with Olusegun Obasanjo as President. Kwankwaso was voted out of office in 2003 for several reasons, but largely his defeat came as a result of majority youth support for his removal. However, over the years Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso came back to serve as governor in Kano State, re-strategizing with the Kwankwasiyya Movement, a specific massive youth-focused empowerment movement enforcing free education and youth empowerment programs to win the younger generation to his side.
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Another unprecedented example that dismantles this misinformation regarding the incumbent retaining the seat is the 2015 Presidential victory of Late General Muhammadu Buhari. He rose to victory on the back of public and youth support to defeat then President Goodluck Jonathan.
This historical evidence shows that young people have the power to change the tides of election outcomes.
2. Election results are predetermined before voting day:
This misinformation has been one of the loudest in Nigeria’s electoral arena. Ordinary citizens believe that godfathers already pick and determine who will occupy which seat and win what election. However, this misinformation was dismantled in Kwara State in 2019 after the Bukola Saraki defeat that year.
For over 40 years, the Saraki family held an absolute monopoly over Kwara State politics. Dr. Bukola Saraki, who was the then-sitting Senate President and former two-term Governor, operated with an entrenched, predetermined mindset that his political machinery was completely invincible.
This was because his structure historically decided every single political appointment and election victory in the state. Saraki and his allies went into the 2019 general elections fully expecting to sweep the polls as usual. But a massive organic grassroots movement under the slogan “O To Ge” (Enough is Enough) swept through the state. This came after the electorate had grown deeply frustrated with the godfatherism structure, unpaid civil servant salaries, and economic stagnation.
Disillusioned, underemployed youths and university students served as the political foot soldiers, organizing rallies, raising awareness on social media, and monitoring polling units to avoid election malpractice. Activists and local language radio stations translated the discussion on social media to the ears of local communities in Kwara State.
This resulted in the total clean sweep of Bukola Saraki. His handpicked governorship candidate lost. Saraki’s party, the PDP, lost every single contested seat in Kwara State, including Saraki’s Senatorial Kwara Central seat, all other Senate seats, and all House of Representatives seats.
THE POWER IS YOURS
Young people have power in their numbers and social media has given young people an agency to mobilize and utilize such strength for greater good. Although social media does come with its share of negative sides, it is up to users to determine how they’ll use social media.