Campaigns of Calumny: Social Media Hate Speech and Propaganda in the 2019 Nigerian Presidential Election

The study analysed social media hate speech and propaganda targeted at the two front runners in the 2019 Nigerian presidential election, Muhammadu Buhari of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, and its influence on vote decision. Ten posts drawn from X, Facebook and YouTube were content analysed, while 200 voters were sampled in the week after the elections in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. It was found that hate speech and propaganda about the two front runner candidates went viral on the social media. The misleading information was spread on the select social media platforms using messaging techniques that combined text, video and pictures to make them look real. X was the most used platform in spreading political disinformation. The stories were deceptively attributed to respected society members apparently to manipulate the public to believe same as true. Yet, exposure to political disinformation had no significant impact on voters’ perception of political candidates and voting decision.We advocate media literacy to equip the voting public with relevant skills to distinguish truth from falsehood on the social media to enable them to make informed decisions on the choice of political candidates. The use of social media for spread of political disinformation is discouraged

Keywords: Social Media, Political Disinformation, Hate Speech, Propaganda, 2019 Nigerian Presidential Election, Content Analysis.