Media and Political Electioneering: A Study of Nasarawa State 2019 General Elections

Social media has been used by governments in modem democracy to involve citizens in decision-making process, and the civil society use the social media to engage people in specific issues of national and political interest. However, social media is employed to widen political participation by helping citizens to communicate with their representatives and with each other. Arguably, this political communication is most important during election campaigns when political parties and candidates seek to mobilize citizens and persuade them to vote for a party or candidate. The 2019 general elections witnessed a remarkable use of social media as a political communication tool in Nigeria. Three major issues underline the tremendous use of social media tools during the 2019 elections. Firstly, the use of social media in Nigeria’s 2019 Elections reflects a global trend towards “internet elections” or “e-electioneering” (McNamara, 2008).