The International Press Centre (IPC) has called on online publishers and editors to strengthen accountability journalism, fact-check political claims and monitor government performance ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The call was made on Tuesday in Ibadan, Oyo State, during an engagement with online media practitioners organised by the IPC under Component 4 (Support to Media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II) programme.
Speaking on behalf of the IPC Executive Director, Mr Lanre Arogundade, the programme officer, Melody Akinjiyan, said the engagement was aimed at strengthening the media’s role in promoting democratic accountability and ensuring citizens have access to credible information before the elections.
Akinjiyan urged journalists to move away from excessive coverage of political rallies, campaigns and defections, advocating instead for issue-based reporting that examines party manifestoes, verifies political statements and evaluates government policies.
She identified the economy, education, healthcare, security, employment and infrastructure as critical areas that should receive sustained attention in electoral coverage.
She also cautioned that misinformation, manipulated content and divisive narratives could undermine public trust and weaken democratic institutions. She stressed the importance of accuracy, fairness, fact-checking and conflict-sensitive reporting, while urging journalists to give adequate attention to the concerns of women, young people, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, Mr Akeem Abas, also charged journalists to examine candidates’ manifestoes, verify political claims and assess campaign promises against actual government performance.
Abas maintained that citizens needed reliable information on issues affecting their daily lives, adding that journalists must hold political actors accountable without allowing partisan considerations to influence their professional judgment.
Speed must never defeat accuracy; sensationalism must never replace substance; and political interests must never compromise professional judgment,” he said.
He further called for conflict-sensitive reporting that would promote peaceful political participation and prevent unnecessary political tension.
The NUJ chairman reaffirmed the council’s commitment to ethical journalism, professional development, digital capacity building and the responsible application of artificial intelligence in media practice.
He also announced that Arogundade would be honoured at the grand finale of the NUJ Oyo State Council’s 60th anniversary celebration on November 7, 2026, in Ibadan, in recognition of his contributions to press freedom and professional journalism.
In a presentation titled, “2027 General Election in the Context of Democratic and Accountability Reporting: Scanning the Electoral Environment and Reporting Citizens’ Priority Concerns,” the General Editor of Tribune Newspapers, Dr Taiwo Adisa, urged journalists to prioritise issues affecting citizens rather than focusing predominantly on political personalities and activities.
Adisa identified education, agriculture, rural road infrastructure and security as major concerns for residents of Oyo State, noting that public expectations of political leaders were closely tied to development and improved living conditions.
He cited the cancellation of the N3,000 education levy introduced under the administration of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi as one of the policy issues that contributed to Governor Seyi Makinde’s public support during the 2019 governorship election.
He added that access to agricultural inputs, improved seedlings and rural roads linking communities to urban centres should feature prominently in assessments of political promises and government performance.
On security, Adisa highlighted kidnapping, banditry and farmer-herder conflicts, noting that Oyo State had also faced challenges associated with Nigeria’s wider insecurity situation.
He also drew attention to issues surrounding local government autonomy, particularly the payment of salaries and pensions to primary school teachers, healthcare workers, local government employees and pensioners.
Describing Oyo as a politically active state, Adisa observed that its extensive media landscape, comprising radio stations, online television platforms, podcasts, social media users and digital newspapers, made media coverage particularly influential in shaping public opinion.
He noted that the state’s political environment was becoming increasingly competitive ahead of the 2027 elections, with several governorship aspirants emerging and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) among the political platforms in the contest.
Adisa also observed that Governor Seyi Makinde would be interested in having a successor whose political outlook aligns with his administration, against the background of intense competition in recent election cycles.
He urged journalists to track campaign promises beyond election periods by monitoring implementation, questioning public officials and examining the results of government policies.
According to him, electoral reporting should enable citizens to assess political leaders based on their performance and the extent to which they have fulfilled their commitments.
Also speaking at the event, a fact-checker with Nigeria Democratic Report (NDR), Mr Olusola Oludiran, trained participants on basic fact-checking tools and techniques during a session titled, “Integrating Fact-Checking for Democratic and Accountability Reporting.”
Oludiran explained that democratic reporting involved gathering, verifying and disseminating accurate and diverse information to help citizens understand public affairs and participate meaningfully in democratic processes.
He described accountability reporting as the examination of the decisions, promises and performance of individuals and institutions entrusted with public authority.
According to him, fact-checking plays a crucial role in correcting misconceptions, countering misinformation and disinformation, improving media literacy and building public trust.
He noted that verifying information, particularly images, videos and other digital content, often requires more extensive investigation and specialised technical skills than routine news reporting.
Oludiran therefore urged newsrooms to incorporate verification into their editorial processes, warning that publishing unverified claims could mislead citizens and undermine informed participation in democratic activities.
The two-day engagement brought together media practitioners and stakeholders to discuss ways of strengthening democratic accountability and improving electoral reporting ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While Monday’s sessions were attended by broadcast and print media practitioners, Tuesday’s engagement focused on online editors and publishers.
