By Wale Ishola
IBADAN — As political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, media professionals have been urged to hold candidates accountable for their promises, investigate government performance and protect voters from misinformation.
The call was made on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, in Ibadan, Oyo State, at an interface organised by the International Press Centre (IPC) for online editors and publishers under Component 4 (Support to Media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II) programme.
IPC Programme Officer, Melody Akinjiyan, who represented the Executive Director, Lanre Arogundade, said journalists must shift from routine coverage of political rallies, defections and campaign events to issue-based reporting that enables citizens to assess candidates and their policies.
She identified the economy, education, healthcare, security, employment and infrastructure as critical areas requiring sustained scrutiny, warning that misinformation, manipulated digital content and divisive narratives could threaten public confidence in the electoral process.
Akinjiyan also urged journalists to adopt accurate, fair and conflict-sensitive reporting while ensuring that the concerns of women, young people, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups received adequate attention.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, Akeem Abas, said the media must resist partisan pressure and ensure that political claims were independently verified before publication.
“Speed must never defeat accuracy; sensationalism must never replace substance; and political interests must never compromise professional judgment,” he said.
Abas reaffirmed the council’s commitment to ethical journalism, digital capacity building and the responsible use of artificial intelligence. He also announced plans to honour Arogundade at the grand finale of the council’s 60th anniversary celebration on November 7, 2026, in Ibadan, for his contributions to press freedom and professional journalism.
In his 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, Taiwo Adisa, urged journalists to assess political leaders based on their records and the impact of their policies on citizens.
Adisa identified education, agriculture, rural roads and security as major concerns in Oyo State. He recalled that the cancellation of the N3,000 education levy under former Governor Abiola Ajimobi was among the policies that helped Governor Seyi Makinde gain public support in 2019.
He also called for closer scrutiny of agricultural support programmes and rural infrastructure, while highlighting kidnapping, banditry and farmer-herder conflicts as security challenges requiring attention. He said journalists should also investigate concerns surrounding local government autonomy, particularly the payment of salaries and pensions to teachers, healthcare workers, local government employees and pensioners.
Adisa noted that Oyo’s vibrant media environment and competitive political landscape made responsible reporting particularly important ahead of the elections. He urged news organisations to move beyond campaign rhetoric by tracking the implementation of promises and demanding explanations from political officeholders.
Also speaking, Nigeria Democratic Report fact-checker, Olusola Oludiran, trained participants on tools and techniques for verifying claims, images, videos and other digital content.
Oludiran said fact-checking was essential to correcting misconceptions, countering misinformation and disinformation, improving media literacy and strengthening public trust. He urged newsrooms to make verification an integral part of their editorial processes, warning that unverified claims could mislead voters and weaken informed democratic participation.
The two-day engagement brought together media practitioners and stakeholders to examine the media’s role in promoting democratic accountability ahead of the 2027 general elections. While Monday’s sessions focused on broadcast and print journalists, Tuesday’s engagement was designed for online editors and publishers.
