PORT HARCOURT RESIDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA POLITICAL BRANDING OF OBIDIENT MOVEMENT IN 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Abstract

The study examined Port Harcourt residents’ perceptions of the social media political branding of the Obidient Movement during the 2023 presidential election. The study objectives were to determine the perception of Port Harcourt residents regarding the credibility of the Obidient Movement’s political branding on social media, ascertain the influence of social media political branding of the Obidient Movement on the electoral choices of Port Harcourt residents, and to find out the challenges faced by Port Harcourt residents in engaging social media political branding during the 2023 Presidential election. The study was anchored on Framing Theory. Survey design was adopted; the population of the study comprised 3,636,550. The sample size was 400 drawn from the population using Taro Yamane (1967) Statistical Tool. Purposive sampling technique was adopted. Data were collected with a self-structured questionnaire on a four-point Likert scale and were analysed using mean scores and standard deviations through SPSS. Findings indicated that respondents generally perceived the Obidient Movement’s social media branding as credible, consistent with stated values, trust-building, and effective in enhancing public image. The branding was found to have a notable influence on electoral choices. Major challenges to engagement were identified as misinformation, fake news, political bias, conflicting information, and digital-access constraints, which collectively undermined trust and limited reach. The study concluded that social media branding had been a transformative mobilizing force in Port Harcourt but that its democratic potential was constrained by credibility and access issues. It was recommended among others that political actors and movements, including the Obidient Movement, should adopt transparent, fact-based, and consistent messaging on social media platforms.