Online support has been overwhelming for the 61-year-old businessman and former member of the PDP, who campaigned on a platform of reforming Nigeria’s government institutions, often tainted by corruption. In his direct address to the IndaSRS movement, he also said that he would publicly apologize to the victims of police brutality.
While the legacy parties focused on traditional media, the Labor Party was supported by prominent activists and influencers. Youth organizers used Twitter sites and hashtags #ObiDatti2023, #obedientsAnd #1Million March 4 Peter Obi To rally support. They have voluntarily taken their online efforts offline by going door-to-door to spread the party’s message. Supporters have launched an application online as “Talking about Peter Obi” and to distribute content and campaign messages. The party collected donations, helping it to overcome the severe financial gap between it and the two legacy parties.
In the year In 2019, the odds are stacked against Obi’s Labor Party, which received more than 5,000 votes in the last presidential election. This year, however, the party’s votes rose to 6.1 million – more than 25 percent of the electorate – placing it in third place, not far behind the PDP’s 6.9 million. The party won six Senate seats and three seats in the House of Representatives. In Lagos, the economic hub of the country, her candidate defeated the ruling party. He got the highest number of votes in the polling booth in the presidential villa.
“The statement ‘four people tweeting in one room’ was embarrassing,” Ayomide said. “I’m happy to see how things turned out. I think he gave us a statement.
Since the presidential and senatorial elections, online activist networks have continued to call out electoral violations and voter suppression and challenge the role of money in politics. Some are trying to crowdsource the results database from certain polling stations in hopes of providing records that can prove errors in court. Both the leading opposition parties were involved in vote rigging and violence during the elections.
“Many young people are using social media to advocate for their favorite candidates, which has led to youth-friendly candidates winning elections and disrupting the political landscape,” said Renu Oduala, a youth activist and founder of the advocacy service Renu Oduala. and support for democracy and government violence. When politicians fail to keep their promises or engage in corruption, we call them out on social media, creating a culture of greater monitoring and accountability.
Nigeria’s political establishment seems to have been activated by the power of online causes. The country held governorship elections on the weekend of March 18. Both the PDP and the ruling APC have ramped up their social media campaigns in the run-up. Lagos APC governor Babajide Sanwo Olu has taken to Twitter to announce policies that appear to be designed to win the youth vote, including a promise to rethink the country’s cryptocurrencies.
Full election results are still coming in. APC won the governorship election in Lagos with over 762,000 votes, while the Labor Party came second with 312,000 votes ahead of PPDE. Preliminary results have shown the party to be a major contender in several states in South East Nigeria.
The results reinforce the idea that “four people tweeting in a room” are now the core of politics, and Nigerian politicians can no longer drive away the youth vote with slogans like “no online polling stations” as they often do. He said.
“The digital gathering of young Nigerians is a direct challenge to incompetent leadership, corrupt and brutal policing,” says Adebowale Adedayo, a content creator and activist known as Mr Macaroni. Platform as an influencer to advocate for youth participation. “If the EndSARS protests fail to prove that online advocacy translates into real-world action, record youth turnout in the 2023 election cycle will settle any debate.”
