Assessment of Labour Party and APC Social Media Strategies for Voter Education in Abuja during the Nigeria's 2023 General Elections

Abstract

As social media becomes increasingly central to political communication in Nigeria, there remains limited empirical research on how political parties leverage these platforms for voter education, particularly in strategic electoral regions like Abuja. This study examines the social media strategies employed by the Labour Party (LP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) for voter education during Nigeria's 2023 general elections in the Federal Capital Territory. Using a quantitative approach with 380 questionnaire responses, the study identifies the dominant platforms (WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter/X), measures social media's influence on voter participation, analyzes message-voter education correlations, and documents implementation challenges. Findings reveal Twitter/X as the most utilized platform by both parties, though significant barriers emerged, including misinformation proliferation and limited reach among digitally excluded demographics. The study recommends hybrid voter education models combining online strategies (like TikTok and Instagram for youth engagement) with offline approaches (town halls, radio programs) to bridge the digital divide. These findings contribute to understanding how political parties can optimize digital tools for democratic participation in Nigeria's evolving media landscape while addressing the persistent challenges of misinformation and unequal digital access.