Abstract

Election in Nigeria is often marred by electoral malpractices. This study assessed the changing narrative in the
election process in Nigeria owing to citizen journalism. Situated within the context of Democratic Participant Media
Theory, this paper maintains that citizen journalism has been used to mobilize electorate to participate in political
activities as well as monitor election proceedings in both developed and developing countries of Africa. The
emergence of social networking sites which is heralded by the advent of the internet is opening up the public sphere
to a more transparent and participatory form of democracy. Several organizations are beginning to see the potentials
inherent in these communication devices in enhancing political participation, social mobilization and even civil
protest. Today, several Nigerians have email accounts, and huge numbers of people have signed up for social
networking sites and numerous audiences – driven online citizen journalism sites and discussion forums. As a result,
dissemination of news is no longer an exclusive preserve of the conventional media of communication alone. Citizens
are now actively involved in producing and generating media content in the country. In a nutshell, the introduction
of new media technology into the political arena of Nigerian politics will greatly enhance credible elections
progressively.