Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

The democratic process in Africa, especially Nigeria, is usually marred by violence, fraud, corruption, legal battles, etc. This scenerio results from unfair conduct of election processes which made it impossible for an opposition candidate to emerge a winner. In the history of Nigeria, it has proven impossible for a sitting president to be defeated in an election. However, the 2015 general elections saw the incumbent, president Goodluck Jonathan defeated. The elections took place at a period when the social media was at a boom amongst citizens. Therefore, this work explores if the social media had any role in the changed situation. The work shall survey Nigerians who were of voting age during the 2015 elections. The North Central Zone of the country where the opposition won in almost all the states shall be the focus. A sample of 400 voters will be administered copies of structured questionnaire to elicit useful information. Both descriptive and inferential statistics wil be used to analyze data obtained from respondents. The study shall analyze and establish the role played by the social media during the 2015 presidential elections in Nigeria - whether it contributed to the defeat of a sitting president, and if same can be recommended to other African nations for effective democratic process.