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The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strengthen transparency and ensure timely disclosure of electoral information ahead of the 2027 general elections.
NGE President, Eze Anaba, made the call on Monday in Abuja during a strategic workshop organised by INEC in collaboration with the Guild. The three-day workshop is themed, “Strengthening Democracy Through Partnership Among Editors, Civil Society and Electoral Institutions.”
Anaba said building public confidence in the electoral process could not be left to the media alone, stressing that journalists also needed timely and accessible information from INEC to report developments accurately.
He urged INEC and media managers to deepen their relationship through mutual respect, openness and regular communication, particularly as misinformation, disinformation, manipulated content and artificial intelligence-generated material become increasingly common.
Anaba said credible elections depended not only on voting but also on citizens having confidence that their votes would count and that institutions responsible for conducting elections would operate transparently and professionally.
Also speaking at the workshop, Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society, Dr Akin Akingbulu, advocated an “INEC–Editors Verification Compact” to establish clearer responsibilities for information sharing and responsible reporting. He warned that newsrooms could not effectively verify information that electoral institutions failed to disclose, while calling for greater vigilance against AI-generated electoral falsehoods.
INEC Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Victoria Eta-Messi, described fake news as a major threat to electoral participation and urged editors to verify information before publication. The workshop also focused on establishing direct verification channels between newsrooms and INEC as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify. INEC has separately announced that nationwide collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards will begin on October 9, 2026.
