The Effect of Social Media on Political Participation in Nigeria: A Comparative Study of Endsars Campaign and the Obedient Movement

This study examines the role of social media in shaping political participation in Nigeria, with a comparative focus on the #EndSARS campaign (2020) and the Obedient Movement (2023). The rapid expansion of digital communication technologies has transformed the dynamics of civic engagement, particularly among Nigerian youth, who constitute a significant proportion of the population. The #EndSARS movement, which emerged as a decentralized protest against police brutality, relied heavily on social media platforms for mobilization, information dissemination, and global advocacy. Empirical studies show that social media facilitated real-time coordination of protests, amplified narratives of injustice, and fostered a collective identity among participants (Ogunderu & Afolaranmi, 2024). Similarly, the Obedient Movement, which developed around the presidential candidacy of Peter Obi in the 2023 general elections, leveraged social media to drive political awareness, voter mobilization, and youth participation in electoral politics (Igwe & Maduka, 2024) . The movement represents a shift from protest-based engagement to structured electoral participation, demonstrating the evolving nature of digital activism in Nigeria. Using a comparative analytical approach, this study argues that while both movements utilized social media as a central tool for political engagement, they differ in objectives, organizational structure, and outcomes. The #EndSARS campaign emphasized issue-based activism and resistance, whereas the Obedient Movement translated online mobilization into formal political participation. The study concludes that social media has become a critical instrument for democratic engagement in Nigeria, though challenges such as misinformation, digital repression, and uneven offline effect persist.