Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari have emerged as the most followed politicians in northern Nigerian on X formerly called Twitter.
A recent analysis of engagement on the platform shows that Atiku leads with 5.4 million followers, closely trailed by Buhari with 4.5 million.
The analysis, which highlights the digital influence of politicians from northern Nigeria, also includes two former senators, Shehu Sani and Bukola Saraki, both of whom command substantial online followership.
Senator Shehu Sani, known for his sharp-witted commentary and activism, ranks third among the northern politicians with 3.3 million followers. Saraki, a former Senate President, follows with 3.1 million.
Completing the top five is former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who also maintains a strong online presence with 2.2 million followers.
The data suggest the growing significance of social media and also reflect how political actors leverage online platforms for influence and engagement.
Interestingly, while current officeholders struggle to match these figures, it is the former leaders who dominate the online space. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has 2.6 million followers coming after Atiku, Buhari, Shehu and Saraki.
There are other social media platforms politicians could prefer, such as Facebook, which also attracts thousands of followership.
Nonetheless, Twitter remains one of the powerful tools for influence most politicians harness to shape their public conversation.
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