THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN IMPROVING POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN NIGER STATE

This paper assessed the role of the social media in improving the political participation in Nigeria during the 2023 general election. The paper was situated within Bida, Sueja and Kontagora local government areas of Niger State utilizing Taro Yamane to arrive at a sample size of 400 respondents across the 3 local governments. Relying on both primary and secondary data, the paper found that social media platforms played significant roles in political participation using the 2023 general election as reference point. It was found that both the electorates and party candidates ustilised social media for political campaigns, voter mobilization, voter education and awareness. It was also found that social media was used for spreading fake news, hateful and inciting comments during the 2023 general elections. In order to ensure orderliness in the usage of social media during electioneering period, the paper recommends among others, establishment of strict monitoring mechanisms to minimize the inherent weaknesses and maximize the intrinsic values of social media, an open forum for interaction with political office holders and so on.