The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has called for electoral and constitutional reforms, stronger media professionalism and improved protection for journalists ahead of the 2027 general elections. The Guild made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of its 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC 2026), held in Enugu from September 24 to 26.
The NGE said voter apathy was being influenced by poor governance, electoral violence, administrative shortcomings and declining public confidence. It called for timely, transparent and impartial resolution of electoral disputes, as well as reforms to the appointment process for electoral officials, security deployment during elections and the handling of election petitions.
The Guild identified generative AI and automated networks as growing threats to electoral information integrity. It urged newsrooms to strengthen fact-checking and verification systems, and avoid publishing unverified election results. The editors also called for stronger protection of journalists covering elections, while encouraging news organisations to train staff on its provisions ahead of the 2027 elections.
On reporting terrorism, the Guild endorsed the principle, “Inform, Don’t Amplify,” stressing that responsible reporting should inform the public without inadvertently giving publicity or support to terrorist groups.
The NGE further urged INEC to strengthen its AI governance framework, maintain human oversight of automated processes, protect the integrity of BVAS and strengthen cybersecurity measures. It stressed that Nigeria’s democratic credibility ultimately depends on citizens being able to make informed choices, vote freely and have confidence that their votes will be accurately counted and respected.
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