By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna Journalists have been charged to serve as the frontline defense for the 2027 general elections, w...
By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
Journalists have been charged to serve as the frontline defense for the 2027 general elections, with a media lawyer warning that their reporting will determine whether Nigerians get an accurate account and whether INEC’s results reflect what happened on the ground.
The call was made at a one-day sensitization workshop in Kaduna organized by the Arewa Cohesion for Peace Unity and Development Initiative, ACI.
Delivering the lead paper, media lawyer Elzubair Abubakar took participants through key provisions of Nigeria’s electoral framework, INEC’s role, campaign reporting, election offences, results transmission, media accreditation, defamation, contempt and professional standards.
“The work does not start on election day and it does not end there,” Abubakar said. “What I tried to highlight is the role of a journalist before the election, on the day of the election, and after the election.”
He explained that before voting, the media must educate voters and counter disinformation. On election day, reporters must remain factual and calm. After voting, the focus must shift to verification and accountability to ensure announced results match field realities.
Addressing safety concerns for correspondents in volatile areas, Abubakar said integrity remains the best protection.
“If journalists remain on the side of truth and insist that truth must prevail, then they have little to fear. Our credibility is what keeps us safe,” he said.
According to him, the ACI forum was designed to deploy journalists to sensitize Nigerians ahead of 2027, with special attention to the North where voter apathy is high and voter education remains low.
“All that ACI tried to do is to use journalists to sensitize Nigerians. And this is a continuing conversation up to the time of the election,” he said, urging newsrooms to begin training now.
A mass communication lecturer at Kaduna Polytechnic, Ahmed Balarabe Sai'd, cautioned reporters to focus on process rather than outcomes to avoid misinformation and legal trouble on polling day.
Speaking on “Pre-publication verification, polling-unit reporting, the collation process, unofficial versus official results,” Sai'd said his lecture was to guide election beat reporters on what happens on election day and the steps that follow, including petitions and grievances.
He warned against the common rush to declare winners.
“For example, being in a hurry to announce results when it is not their responsibility, and rather than announcing processes, they are announcing outcomes,” he said.
Sai'd urged participants to take the training seriously, noting that improved skills will help journalists stay out of trouble and meet their obligation as gatekeepers. He described the ACI initiative as timely for field reporters.
Media expert Madiba Ibrahim Lapini said fact-checkers and digital journalism must be placed at the center of election coverage if Nigeria is to guarantee fair and bias-free polls.
“The paper is all about checking facts related to elections, making sure that all the videos are verified, the newspaper reports are verified, and the pictures that you have are verified,” he said.
Lapini advised reporters to use tools such as Google Lens and Google Images to confirm images and videos before publication, saying doubt should trigger verification, not delay truth.
“When those verifications are done, it ensures that the results are credible. And when they are credible, it ensures that elections are conducted without biases,” he said, adding that this upholds the rule of law and human rights.
Veteran journalist and former FRCN Editor, Joseph Edegbo, warned reporters to maintain professional distance from politicians, saying proximity compromises independence.
Presenting a paper on “Public Interest Journalism: Independence, Impartiality and Accountability,” he said the media’s duty is to serve voters, not political interests.
“The more you get closer to politicians, the more you dance to their tune. Whoever pays the piper dictates the tune,” he said.
Edegbo urged journalists to resist financial inducements and prioritize public interest over personal gain, stressing that a detached, fact-based press remains the strongest safeguard for free and fair elections.
In his opening remarks, ACI Director-General Dr Abdullahi Idris declared that elections are not won and lost only at polling units but also in the public space created by information.
“Holding leaders accountable does not mean supporting their opponents. Reporting wrongdoing does not require political allegiance. Fairness does not mean treating every claim as equally credible,” Dr Idris said.
He said the workshop was not designed to dictate political positions but to strengthen professional standards so citizens receive reliable information and participate peacefully in democracy.
No comments