The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure transparency and timely disclosure of information to strengthen public confidence and safeguard the integrity of the 2027 general elections.
NGE President, Eze Anaba, made the call on Monday in Abuja at a strategic workshop organized 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 the media could not shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding public trust alone, stressing that timely and accessible information from INEC was essential to an effective partnership between the electoral body and the media.
He urged media managers and INEC to deepen their collaboration through mutual respect, openness and regular communication to effectively combat misinformation.
“Elections are not merely about casting ballots. They are about trust.
“They are about citizens believing that their votes will count, that the process will be transparent and that the institutions responsible for conducting elections will act fairly and professionally,” he said.
Anaba pledged the editors’ commitment to working with INEC and other stakeholders to promote credible elections and ensure Nigerians have access to reliable information.
He said the partnership had become more important amid the spread of misinformation, disinformation, manipulated content, deepfakes and partisan narratives.
“In an environment increasingly polluted by misinformation, disinformation, manipulated content, deepfakes and partisan narratives, the relationship between INEC and the media must therefore be one founded on openness, mutual respect and regular engagement,” Anaba said.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Center for Media and Society (CEMESO), Dr Akin Akingbulu, called for greater transparency between electoral institutions and the media.
“Newsrooms cannot verify what institutions do not disclose,” Akingbulu said.
He proposed an “INEC–Editors Verification Compact” to establish clear responsibilities for information sharing and responsible reporting, while warning about the growing threat of AI-generated electoral misinformation.
Akingbulu said although ballot papers determine the winner of an election, the quality of information surrounding the process significantly influences whether citizens accept and trust the outcome.
Similarly, Arogundade urged journalists to prioritize verification over speed, while calling for stronger measures to protect journalists covering elections in the field.
The INEC Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, also warned about the damaging impact of fake news on the electoral process.
Eta-Messi described fake news as “a cancer” capable of undermining citizens’ participation in elections.
She said that distorted reports could directly contribute to voter apathy and urged editors to use their gatekeeping responsibilities to verify information from the field before publication.
Team Leader of DAI, Rudolf Elbling, commended INEC and the NGE for creating the platform, saying strong collaboration between media organizations and electoral institutions was essential to democratic stability in Nigeria.
Describing the media as the “oxygen of democracy,” Elbling stressed the importance of timely and accurate information.
“Media as the oxygen of democracy, but today, there’s a lot of poisonous oxygen out there as well, which is hard to breathe,” he said.
He urged credible media organizations to remain committed to facts, particularly in an increasingly challenging information environment.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the workshop was designed to establish direct and round-the-clock verification channels between newsrooms and the commission.
According to him, the initiative would help prevent unverified claims from escalating tensions and undermining public peace.
“Beyond reporting the news, the media, civil society, and electoral institutions share a joint obligation to protect the integrity of the ballot.
“Our goal today is to align on ethical gatekeeping, conflict-sensitive reporting, and civic enlightenment—especially as the nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) commences in four days, on Oct. 9,” he said.
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INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Haruna, commended the media for its support of the commission’s activities.
Haruna called for stronger collaboration between INEC and media executives, saying upcoming electoral milestones and the countdown to the 2027 general elections required closer cooperation to keep Nigerians accurately informed.
 has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure transparency and timely disclosure of information to strengthen public confidence and safeguard the integrity of the 2027 general elections.){kind=link}