Abstract

WhatsApp groups have become the main working channel of political campaigns in Nigeria, and the 2027 cycle is the first run entirely under the Electoral Act 2026. This study examined the role of WhatsApp groups in political campaigns and voter mobilization in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where campaigns for the presidential election of 16 January 2027 and the governorship election of 6 February 2027 are already under way. It pursued three objectives: to identify how political groups use WhatsApp to disseminate campaign messages, to assess the extent to which WhatsApp group participation mobilizes members toward electoral participation, and to examine the challenges, especially misinformation, associated with WhatsApp-based campaigning. Anchored on the Uses and Gratifications Theory and the Two-Step Flow of Communication Theory, the study adopted a descriptive survey design. Using the Taro Yamane formula, 328 respondents were drawn from a population of 1,824 members of six selected political WhatsApp groups in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas through multistage sampling. A structured questionnaire yielded 312 valid returns (95.1%), and data were analysed with frequency counts and simple percentages. Findings show that WhatsApp groups serve chiefly as channels for campaign information, rally logistics and coordination (mean agreement 68.1%). They moderately mobilize members toward voter registration, PVC collection and campaign attendance (mean agreement 63.1%). Misinformation, hate speech and message fatigue are significant challenges (mean agreement 62.3%). The study concludes that WhatsApp groups are now central, yet double-edged, instruments of grassroots campaigning in Rivers State. It recommends stronger platform moderation by group administrators, INEC and civil society voter-education presence in political groups, and sustained digital-literacy and fact-checking programmes ahead of the 2027 polls