INFLUENCE OF WHATSAPP ON STUDENTS VOTING CHOICE IN AJAYI CROWTHER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ASSEMBLY (ACUSA) 2023 ELECTION

This study examines the influence of WhatsApp on the voting choices of students during the ACUSA 2023 presidential election. It aims to understand the unique role this platform plays in shaping political choice within a university setting, and to explore how WhatsApp exposure through group chats, broadcast messages, and peer influence affects students’ perceptions of aspirants and their eventual voting decisions. Employing a quantitative research approach, the study used the Yamane formula to determine a sample size of 361 students, from which 294 valid questionnaire responses were received and analyzed. Findings shows that while awareness of ACUSA is high among students,it was discovered that most students strongly agree and agree that student leaders use whatsapp for campaign and that they use them to various extent. It was also discovered that most respondents acknowledge that WhatsApp group discussions influence their political opinions and voting choice. When questioned on whether the interaction respondents have with aspirants on whatsapp affect their voting choice, the results show that most of the respondents have their choice of aspirants influenced by the whatsapp posts to various degrees. The study recommends the student body in Ajayi Crowther University and aspirant who intend to vie for various positions should use the whatsapp to engage the potential voters, it should be used at the grass root and at national level to gather young people in mass to get involved in the political quarters of the nation, there is a need for provision of security on the whatsapp networks to avoid hate speech, defamation, slander, insightful speech among others, and youth should use whatsapp as a rallying point to insist on good governance in the nation.