2027: Editors push overhaul of INEC appointments, election dispute process

• Seek independent candidacy, voters’ right to challenge results

• Want disputes settled before inauguration

By Beifoh Osewele

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has pushed for far-reaching constitutional and electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections, including a review of the process for appointing the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and changes to the handling of election disputes.

It also wants limitations preventing ordinary voters from challenging election results reviewed, provision made for independent candidacy and electoral disputes resolved within appropriate timelines before declared winners are sworn into office.

These formed part of the resolutions of the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC 2026), held in Enugu from September 24 to 26 under the theme, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive.”

More than 300 editors, publishers, senior journalists and other stakeholders attended the conference.

In its communiqué, the conference called for sustained constitutional and electoral reforms to address what it described as structural concerns in the electoral system.

Specifically, the editors called for a review of the process for appointing the INEC Chairman, National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners, as well as State Electoral Commissioners.

They also raised concerns over excessive or intimidating deployment of security personnel during elections and what the communiqué described as the growing role of election tribunals in determining political outcomes instead of elections being the ultimate determinant of winners.

The conference further sought consideration of an appropriate constitutional threshold for presidential elections and provision for a run-off where the highest-scoring candidate fails to secure up to 50 per cent of votes cast.

It also identified the absence of a constitutional framework for independent candidacy and limitations on the ability of ordinary voters to challenge electoral results among areas requiring reform.

The editors called for election disputes to be resolved within appropriate timelines before the swearing-in of declared winners.

The resolutions represent the collective position of the conference after presentations and deliberations on the electoral system, the judiciary, election security, artificial intelligence and the responsibilities of the media as the country approaches the 2027 polls.

The conference noted that while the ballot remained the principal instrument through which citizens exercised their sovereign will, its value depended on credible information, public confidence in the electoral process and assurance that votes would be properly counted and respected.

It identified poor governance, electoral violence and intimidation, administrative shortcomings and declining public confidence among factors fuelling voter apathy.

The editors also noted public concerns over the relationship between electoral outcomes and subsequent judicial decisions, calling for electoral adjudication that is timely, transparent, predictable and impartial while fully respecting judicial independence and ensuring that genuine electoral irregularities are addressed.

Beyond electoral reforms, the conference raised concern over the threat posed by generative artificial intelligence, deepfakes, voice cloning and automated networks to the integrity of information surrounding elections.

It warned that synthetic content could now be rapidly generated and distributed in the form of fabricated election results, cloned voices of public officials, forged documents, manipulated result sheets and fake reports attributed to established media organisations.

According to the communiqué, the greater danger goes beyond individual falsehoods to the erosion of public trust when citizens become unable to distinguish authentic information from fabricated content.

Against this background, the conference urged newsrooms to institutionalise fact-checking and verification systems and integrate digital-verification, deepfake-detection and forensic tools into their editorial processes.

It also urged INEC to develop and implement an Artificial Intelligence Governance Framework, ensuring that automated processes used in elections remained subject to human oversight, transparency, accountability and legal verification.

While acknowledging measures being undertaken by INEC to strengthen its readiness for the 2027 elections, including technological initiatives, staff welfare measures and nationwide readiness assessments, the conference stressed the need to safeguard the integrity of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the institutional independence of the commission.

Editors and news organisations were equally cautioned against publishing or amplifying unverified election results, with the conference stressing that the statutory responsibility for declaring results rests with INEC.

The NGE reaffirmed the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage, Revised 2022, jointly endorsed by the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NGE and Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, and urged newsrooms to train their journalists on its provisions before the elections.

The conference also restated the responsibility of the media to scrutinise government, political parties and other centres of power while reporting verified achievements and developments fairly.

It said editorial neutrality meant impartiality among legitimate political contenders but did not require silence in the face of verified wrongdoing or placing established facts on the same footing as unverified claims.

Governments and political actors were urged to guarantee equitable access to the media for government and opposition voices while respecting editorial independence.

The editors also placed emphasis on the safety of journalists during elections, maintaining that an electoral process could not be fully transparent where journalists were threatened, attacked, obstructed or prevented from independently observing and reporting events.

They consequently called on security agencies and political actors to protect journalists and enable them to perform their constitutional and professional responsibilities without intimidation.

On terrorism reporting, the conference adopted the principle, “Inform, Don’t Amplify,” urging newsrooms to report terrorist activities responsibly without giving undue publicity or propaganda value to terrorist organisations.

It advised journalists to clearly identify terrorist assertions as claims until independently verified and avoid reproducing propaganda, recruitment messages, slogans or graphic materials except where there was compelling editorial justification.

The editors reaffirmed that the media should remain “pro-Nigeria, pro-Ballot and pro-People” rather than aligned with any political party.

The conference called on government, INEC, security agencies, the judiciary, political parties, traditional and religious institutions, civil society, technology platforms and the media to discharge their responsibilities with integrity, courage and diligence.

It maintained that the credibility of Nigeria’s democracy ultimately depended on citizens being able to make informed choices, cast their votes freely and have confidence that those votes would be accurately counted and respected.

The conference was chaired by the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, while John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, delivered the keynote address.

Vice President Kashim Shettima participated virtually as Special Guest of Honour, while Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, was Chief Host.