2019: Politicians battle over cyberspace

[PHOTO] 2019: Politicians battle over cyberspace

Ahead of the 2019 General Elections, parties and aspirants are securing the services of social media influencers with a view to winning the emerging intense cyber war, reports Sunday Oguntola

WITH eyes fully fixed on the screens, about eight males and females, in their early 20s and 30s, worked furiously away on the laptops before them. They spoke as much as their fingerprints performed wonders on the laptops. The fully air-conditioned large office they occupied somewhere in Maitama District, Abuja, was as lively as their conversations.

“We are getting flopped. We are losing momentum. We need to get cracking and raise the team,” said a bespectacled team leader in the room. Crowding round him, others looked more intently at the screens and let out a collective scream: “No, we have to overtake them.”

Inside the heart of internet warriors

Welcome to the expanding world of cyber warriors working for leading political parties and candidates ahead of the 2019 General Elections. Investigations revealed these young IT freaks have been signing contracts of engagements with parties and aspirants for domination of the cyberspace in the run-off to the 2019 contests.

Their main rule of engagement, according to findings, is to stop at nothing to win over potential voters, especially the millennials believed to constitute over 60 percent of the voting population. But the brief is not as simple or straightforward as it sounds. Mounting an electoral cyber-campaign can be dicey and tasking. This is why many involved in the project are deservedly called warriors.

Their mandate needs an aggressive, right-in-your-face approach. To get noticed in the internet political space means being unconventional, witty and sometimes militant. It requires many under-cut strategies and tactics aimed at not only becoming the dominant face but also winning over would-be voters. Richards Eze is one of the cyber warriors in a firm working for one of the leading presidential candidates in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His definition of the work description offers insights into how the minds of internet warriors operate. “My business is to churn out data and information that can boost the chances of our client. That means being on top of the game. It means being ready to take on perceived opponents and discredit them from time to time,” he stated.

Our correspondent discovered some of the staff in the image-laundering IT firms earn between N90, 000-N120, 000. The contracts with the engaging parties and aspirants vary from six to nine months up to the election period.

It was also learnt that some of the contracts are subject to reviews based on prevailing circumstances in the cyber space. For example, an aspirant that wins primary in the next few weeks will most certainly increase his or her social media presence in the run-off to the elections. Once the elections are over, most of the contracts will die natural deaths.

In 2015, the then candidate of the APC, Muhammadu Buhari, earned increased media ratings as soon he won the primary contest. The party hired Red Media, owned by Chude Jideonwo and Debola Williams, to alter the negative perceptions of Buhari, a former military ruler.

The dictatorial and religious fundamental image of Buhari gave in as pictures of him in impeccable English suits went viral online. The transformational turnaround shocked even those who engaged the firm, giving the candidate a big boost before he went on to defeat an incumbent to win the presidential contest.

As 2019 approaches, we gathered that many have not forgotten the huge roles the social media influencers played in the victory of All Progressives Congress’ President Muhammadu Buhari and are determined to benefit too.

Engagement by parties, aspirants

Checks revealed that the All Progressives Party (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have taken cognisance of the rise and rise of cyber politicking and have unleashed strategies to dominate the space. Most of the social media influencers, according to investigations, have signed contractual agreements with different aspirants and parties to launder their images and promote their activities.

Social media influencers with over 50,000 and above followers on micro-blogging platform, twitter, have lately started promoting the campaigns, interactions and activities of parties and aspirants, depending on who they serve. Some of their clients also tweet at them for retweets in an effort to earn amplification, ostensibly to feed off the goodwill and spread of the influencers.

One of the social media influencers confided in our correspondent: “Well, it is true some of us are under contracts to work for one or two aspirants. The thing is we deserve it because it has taken a lot to attract followers on social media.

“For me, I don’t promote an aspirant I cannot defend and believe in. I know it is not the same with many others. They would say anything to defend an aspirant because money is involved. But I like to be convinced first before promoting an aspirant or party.”

Social media plans of aspirants, parties

Senate President Bukola Saraki few days ago launched the #GrowNigeria movement, which is mainly an online campaign for his presidential bid. He went on to hire an aide to man the campaign. The campaign has been gathering momentum online with many either bashing the promoters or encouraging them.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s social media plan is slightly different. Our investigation shows that it takes the shape of having different official twitter handles promoting his activities and movements. Some of the handlers also make leading statements that provoke discussions tending towards why their principal is the best man for the job.

The PDP, on its part, has been launching vitriolic attacks on the Buhari’s administration, through several social media influencers that clearly amplify its opinions and viewpoints. Sometimes, they tweet at the official handle of the PDP or vice versa, indicating their allegiances and bias.

The ruling party, APC, also boasts of an army of volunteers and social media influencers, actively promoting its ideals online. The party appears to have more vociferous influencers clearly because it is the ruling administration with more appeals and resources.

The litany of ministers, aides and party loyalists, as well as influencers allegedly hired by the party, is intimidating. Many of them gloat whenever the government appears to have scored a big point with a policy or programme. For example, the TraderMoni initiative offers them some bragging space.

Electoral value of social media

Most times, as it happens on the political fronts, several of the influencers take on themselves in a bid to defend their clients or attack their opponents. They banter with statistics, data and reports, trying hard to outshine one another in the battle of wits.

Ahmed Aikali, a political scientist, believes the impact of social media on electioneering can no longer be taken for granted. “Times are changing and politicians have realised they can reach millions in a split second with social media. Since politics is a game of numbers, they will certainly take advantage of the platform,” he said.

But Phillips Eze, a public affairs analyst, is of the opinion that social media impact on electoral value is mostly overrated. He said most of the active social media users hardly get to vote. “You see, the truth is politics is local. Most of the folks speaking grammar on social media don’t even vote.

“They are the elites, educated folks whose passion for politics ends with heated cyber argument. When it comes to showing up at voting polls and waiting to exercise your civic obligation in the face of highest provocation, you have to give it to the ordinary traders and artisans.

“They are the real voters. Most of these internet guys are just warriors on papers. You won’t see them near centres during voting. This is why I think politicians shouldn’t waste much of time courting them,” he said.

The disagreement notwithstanding, everyone seems to agree that the battle for cyberspace has taken a more significant position in Nigeria’s 2019 political campaigns. Its actual value in the outcome of elections however remains to be quantified.