IPC, NUJ Urge Journalists to Strengthen Accountability Reporting Ahead of 2027 Elections -

By Temilade Aloko -Ibadan

The International Press Centre (IPC) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ), Oyo State Council, have urged journalists to prioritise accountability, fact-checking and issue-based reporting ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The call was made during an interface with journalists, editors and online publishers held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on October 12, 2026.

The programme was organised under Component 4 (Support to Media) of the European Union-funded Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN III) programme, with support from the NUJ Oyo State Council.

In his welcome remarks, IPC Executive Director, Lanre Arogundade, urged media professionals to ensure credible, fair and inclusive election coverage. He stressed the need for journalists to verify political claims, scrutinise campaign promises and focus on issues affecting citizens, while protecting their professional independence and safety.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the NUJ Oyo State Council, Comrade Akeem Abass, called on journalists to move beyond event-driven reporting and adopt more issue-based and citizen-centred coverage of the electoral process.
Abass urged media practitioners to examine political party manifestos, verify claims by candidates and monitor government promises against measurable results.

He identified security, education, healthcare, unemployment and the economy as critical issues that should receive attention in political reporting.
He also emphasised the importance of fact-checking, warning that the pressure to publish quickly should not come at the expense of accuracy and professional judgment. He encouraged journalists to amplify citizens’ concerns and use accountability tools to assess the performance of political office holders.

In his presentation, Dr Taiwo Adisa highlighted the media’s watchdog role in a democracy, urging journalists to hold political parties and candidates accountable for their promises and actions.
Adisa identified education, agriculture, security, healthcare, roads, water supply, electricity and economic development as major concerns for residents of Oyo State that should shape election coverage.

He also encouraged journalists to investigate campaign financing and question the apparent absence of full-scale campaigns, stressing the need for reporting that helps voters assess candidates beyond political rhetoric.

Similarly, Olusola Oludiran, a fact-checker with the Nigeria Digital Rights and the IPC fact-checking initiative, urged journalists to integrate verification into their daily reporting, particularly during the election period.
Oludiran warned that misinformation and disinformation, including AI-generated deepfakes, manipulated images and videos, and fabricated election results, could mislead voters and undermine public trust.

He advised journalists to verify sources, data, images and videos, consult relevant experts and present evidence to support their findings before publishing information.

The speakers called on journalists to strengthen professional standards and ensure that election reporting provides citizens with reliable information to make informed decisions.
The programme forms part of efforts to promote credible, accountable and citizen-focused media coverage ahead of the 2027 general elections.