Digital Platforms and Electoral Integrity: Regulating Misinformation in Elections in Nigeria

Political engagement in Nigeria has undergone a complete transformation because digital platforms enable new communication methods, which simultaneously create risks that jeopardize electoral process integrity. The study investigates how people spread false information through disinformation campaigns, which result in public distrust toward democratic institutions and cause political unrest. The research aims to measure how political actors use social media platforms, and it investigates how online discussions support information operations which lead to electoral violence. The research investigates primary legal frameworks together with secondary data from international observation reports and scholarly journals through its systematic doctrinal methodology. The study shows that X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook platforms increase user participation but create echo chambers which promote ethnic-based hate speech and paid advertising content that bot programs automatically distribute. Existing legal frameworks receive criticism because they restrict free expression rights instead of preventing harm, according to their intended purpose. The study shows that electoral integrity needs both a strong social cybersecurity system and improved digital literacy abilities. The study recommends that all relevant stakeholders work together to create regulations which protect fundamental human rights while achieving regulatory objectives.