Abstract:

Due to the increasing use of the media in the contemporary society, the importance of the social media in political sphere cannot be underrated. Twitter has become a potent tool for political activities such as campaign, party popularity, power relations and citizen’s participation. The aim of the study was to determine to what extent Twitter has influenced Nigerian citizens’ participation in politics and redistribution of power between them and political elite. The study employed social judgment theory as a related theory. Using Australian online sample calculator, a sample of 397 respondents was drawn from thetotal population of 57,032. Online questionnaire was administered through Twitter with 95.72% response. Data obtained for the study were analysed using tables and percentages and testing of hypotheses with the use of chi-square. From the result, it was found out that Twitter had played a significant role in influencing citizens in the election. The study showed that most of the citizens got their political updates from the Twitter platform and also the platform had helped to give voice to the citizens by relating power among the key political actors. Even though this study showed that people got misleading information, Twitter was still considered as a contributory factor to the success of Anambra State Governorship Election in 2021. Therefore, it recommended that Twitter should take additional steps to prevent foreign interference in the election through the use of bots, fake account and other nefarious tactics through stronger identity verification measures for account and more robust monitoring of suspicious activity. Candidates should present their proposals clearly and honestly, and engage voters with respect and empathy on social media platform. They should demonstrate their qualification and experience and be open to constructive feedback and criticism.