Cacophonous Hustings, Pre-emptive Fact Checking and Disinformation in Nigeria’s 2019 General Elections

Abstract

The 2016 presidential election in the United States focused global attention on the power of social media as kingmaker and the model is being copied all over the world by those who see it as a shortcut to power. It was in full flight in Nigeria in the run up to the 2019 general elections; falsehood and disinformation were disguised as news in a bid to influence voters. For many politicians and supporters alike, the production and dissemination of fabricated political content is a serious business and potent strategy to discredit opposition, keep their support base and win over the gullible ones at the same time. This paper interrogates how the government, content providers, civil Society and online social platforms can build resilience to disinformation and limit the dissemination of harmful information. The overriding questions are: Can these stakeholders mitigate the declining trust in the media and electoral process through their intervention? Does the flow of information from the digital space help create better politically informed citizens? If fake news negatively impacts the country’s electioneering, can the citizens expect democratic accountability from the government that subsequently emerges from that process? This study seeks to enrich the understanding of Nigeria’s cyberspace concerns by examining the socio-political manoeuvrings surrounding the 2019 general elections. It also provides insights into the various factors that shape people’s reception and reactions to false information in an election season.