Assessing the Role of Social Media in Promoting the Obidient Movement During the 2023 Presidential Election in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The Obidient  movement refers to the political movement that emerged as a build-up to the 2023 presidential election to support the presidential ambition of Mr Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.

Objective: This study sought to determine the role of social media in supporting the Obidient political movement during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election

Methodology: The researchers used a descriptive survey as the design of the study. The sample size was 385 self-confessed Obidient members  who were also social media users. The respondent-driven chain referral sampling was used in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and the results were presented in two tables and one chart.

Results: Several events triggered the Obidient political movement. They include the desire for a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction, Mr Obi’s promises, Obi’s defection from the PDP as a result of perceived bad treatment, the Muslim/Muslim ticket of the APC, federal government’s handling of the ENDSAR protests, prolonged 2022 ASUU strike, the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, another Northerner as a PDP presidential candidate, concerns about the health of the APC presidential candidate and endorsement of Mr Obi by some groups and individuals. The result on the ways social media platforms were used to promote the Obidient movement showed that this included engagement with Mr Obi’s social media posts, posting of Mr Obi’s activities on social media, trying to convince other people through social media why Mr Obi was the best, sharing Mr Obi’s previous records on social media, sharing information on the weaknesses of other candidates, Pointing out instances of bad governance in Nigeria and creation of group social media platforms. Finally, the result revealed that the majority of the respondents agreed that social media was used to a large extent to organise physical events for the political movement.

Conclusion: Social media platforms were significantly used to promote the Obidient political movement in Nigeria, triggering online and offline activities.

Unique contribution: This study has provided empirical data showing the role of social media in promoting political movements in developing democracies.

Key Recommendation: Future researchers should investigate the contributing role of age and gender in using social media for political movements.