Zainab Abioye
The Nigerian Guild of Editors has called for sweeping electoral reforms, including a constitutional requirement that presidential candidates secure at least 50 per cent of votes cast to win, with a run-off where no candidate meets the threshold.
The Guild also demanded that electoral disputes be concluded within a reasonable period, preferably before the swearing-in of declared winners, in a bid to reduce uncertainty and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
The demands were contained in the communiqué issued at the end of the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference, held in Enugu from September 24 to 26, 2026.
The communiqué was signed by the NGE President, Eze Anaba, and the General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh.
The conference, themed, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” brought together more than 500 editors, publishers and senior media practitioners, alongside political, traditional, religious, academic, regulatory and development-sector stakeholders.
The conference was chaired by the Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, while the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, delivered the keynote address.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima participated virtually as the Special Guest of Honour, while the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, served as Chief Host.
The editors said Nigeria’s electoral democracy was facing mounting challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections, including voter apathy, electoral insecurity, misinformation, disinformation, artificial intelligence-generated content and declining confidence in the electoral system.
They maintained that although the ballot remained the principal instrument through which citizens exercised their sovereign will, its credibility depended on voters having access to reliable information and confidence that their votes would be properly counted and respected.
The Guild identified poor governance, electoral violence and intimidation, administrative shortcomings and declining trust in the electoral process among factors contributing to voter apathy.
It also expressed concern over growing perceptions that judicial interventions in electoral disputes could ultimately displace outcomes recorded at the polling units.
While stressing the importance of judicial independence, the editors called for electoral adjudication to be timely, transparent, predictable and impartial.
They recommended that genuine electoral irregularities should be addressed through a dispute-resolution mechanism capable of producing final decisions within a defined timeframe.
INEC appointment process
The NGE also called for reforms to the process of appointing the Chairman, National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
It extended the call to the appointment of State Electoral Commissioners, insisting that the integrity and independence of electoral management bodies were critical to credible elections.
The Guild further advocated a constitutional framework that would allow independent candidates to contest elections.
It also called for a review of restrictions that make it difficult for ordinary voters to challenge electoral results.
AI, deepfakes threaten election information
The editors warned that the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence could create a new battlefield for electoral manipulation.
They identified deepfakes, voice cloning, automated networks and other synthetic content as emerging threats capable of confusing voters and undermining confidence in election results.
According to the Guild, fabricated election results, cloned voices of public officials, forged documents, manipulated result sheets and fake reports purportedly issued by reputable media organisations could be generated and circulated rapidly.
The editors warned that the danger went beyond individual falsehoods, noting that persistent exposure to fabricated information could make citizens lose confidence in authentic information altogether.
They therefore urged news organisations to institutionalise fact-checking and verification systems and integrate digital verification, deepfake detection and forensic tools into their editorial operations.
The NGE also urged media organisations to adopt the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage (Revised 2022) and ensure that journalists and other editorial staff were adequately trained ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Guild reaffirmed the responsibility of the media to provide accurate, verified and independent information while holding governments, political parties and other centres of power accountable.
It, however, cautioned that scrutiny should not amount to suppressing legitimate achievements.
The editors called for evidence-based journalism that neither exaggerated failures nor suppressed verified achievements.
They also clarified that editorial neutrality meant impartiality among legitimate political contenders and did not require journalists to remain silent in the face of verified wrongdoing or create a false equivalence between established facts and unverified allegations.
Protect journalists during elections
The Guild warned that election security must include the safety of journalists covering elections.
It called on security agencies and political actors to protect journalists from attacks, threats, obstruction and intimidation so that they could independently observe and report electoral proceedings.
The editors also urged governments at all levels to remain transparent and accountable and cooperate with the media in the legitimate exercise of its watchdog responsibilities, including scrutiny of public programmes and expenditure.
They called for equitable access to media space for government and opposition voices while insisting that editorial independence must be respected.
INEC urged to strengthen BVAS, cybersecurity
The Guild urged INEC to sustain nationwide readiness assessments and strengthen technical partnerships on cybersecurity and electoral technology.
It also called for safeguards to ensure the technical integrity of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the institutional independence of the electoral commission.
The editors stressed that all technologies deployed in elections must remain subject to human oversight, transparency, accountability and legal verification.
The conference also adopted the principle “Inform, Don’t Amplify” in reporting terrorism.
The editors acknowledged the media’s obligation to inform the public about terrorist attacks but warned against reporting practices that could inadvertently amplify propaganda, facilitate recruitment, compromise security operations or further traumatise victims.
The Guild urged newsrooms to identify terrorist claims as claims until independently verified and avoid reproducing propaganda, recruitment messages, slogans or graphic material except where there was compelling editorial justification.
It maintained that terrorism should be reported accurately and responsibly without giving undue publicity or oxygen to terrorist organisations.
The NGE reaffirmed that the media should remain “pro-Nigeria, pro-Ballot and pro-People”, rather than align itself with any political party.
The editors said Nigeria’s democratic credibility ultimately depended on an electoral system in which citizens could make informed choices, vote freely and trust that their votes would be accurately counted and respected.
Among those who presented papers at the conference were former Nigerian Bar Association President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN; Professor Auwalu H. Yadudu of Bayero University, Kano; former Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian Newspapers, Martin Oloja; Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna of Paul University, Awka; Professor Farooq A. Kperogi of Kennesaw State University, Georgia, United States; and Dr Richard Okoye, Founder and Chief Medical Director of Save a Life Hospital.
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