The power of technology can no longer be underestimated when it comes to the role it plays in every day communication through social media, mobile telephony, internet etc. A few days ago, Nigeria’s Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and APC Chieftain said the victory of its party at the polls showed the power of social media.
This election victory for the APC shows how powerful social media could be for Africa. Young people, you now have the power.
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) April 1, 2015
However, apart from the power of social media in helping Gen. Buhari become the first Nigerian to defeat a sitting president at the ballot box, other technology aids that helped with the historic win include the biometric machines that prevented widespread rigging that had marred past polls and online campaigning, which was aided with the much easier means of accessing the internet in Nigeria through smart phones. The latter definitely helped with increasing the reach of the re-branding efforts to depict the 72-year-old former general as a man that embraced democracy.
“In the last four years it has become a lot easier and cheaper to get the Internet on your phone. It isn’t exclusive anymore. The digital strategy has been a lifeline of the campaign for young people. We needed to create an image that enabled people to connect with him,” Adebola Williams, the 29-year-old whose Lagos-based communications company, StateCraft, orchestrated Buhari’s digital drive, told Reuters.
“There were a lot of discussions on their Facebook pages, but I am not sure that really influenced me,” said Endurance Dauda, 24, a student in the northern city of Kaduna.
“The card reader played a constructive role in deterring individuals who, in the past, have tampered with the electoral process either through ballot stuffing or tampering with the election results,” said Dr Christopher Fomunyoh, of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, a non-governmental organization that promotes democracy.
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