Strategic Political Metamorphosis? Organised EndSARS Protest and the Online Obidient Movement as Mediated Political Activism Shaping Nigeria’s Deliberative Democracy

Abstract

Two major youth-led activisms (the EndSARS and Obidient movements) have shaped recent political discourses in Nigeria, prompting empirical inquiry into whether online political activism leads to offline political participation. Previous studies on social media and deliberative democracy in Africa have documented its effects on various stages of deliberation, but not on voting decisions or political participation. In Nigeria, the depth of Internet penetration, dominance of social networking sites by youths and their sudden use of the sites for political activism and engagement stand against the culture of gerontocracy and personality recycling that prevent them from actively participating in politics offline. This online survey of Nigerian youths examined whether these movements indicate a shift from online mobilization to offline political participation, specifically voting and candidacy intentions. Findings indicated significant effects of social media on voting and the decision to contest, membership of the EndSARS and the Obidient movements and membership of the movements on active participation in politics. Although these online and offline forms of activism did not alter political outcomes in the 2023 presidential election, they hold implications for the future of deliberative democracy in Nigeria.