At the 22nd Annual All Nigerian Editors Conference in Enugu, Eze Anaba – president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and editor of Vanguard – urged fellow editors to safeguard the credibility of the ballot as Nigeria prepares for its 2027 general elections.
Anaba said the media, alongside other key institutions, must nurture democracy by ensuring voters receive reliable information and that electoral outcomes truly reflect the will of the people. “The credibility of the ballot must be protected so that the courts do not have to replace the citizenry in determining who should represent the people,” he warned.
He called on editors to uphold verification, independence, accuracy, fairness, accountability and courage, especially in an era dominated by social media, artificial intelligence, deep‑fakes and rapid misinformation. “As editors, we must remain above board in an increasingly polarised environment. We must not become agents of disorder,” Anaba said.
The NGE president highlighted disturbing trends of political intolerance and hate speech that could erode democratic values, and cautioned that economic pressures might undermine media performance. He stressed that a vibrant, independent press is essential for democracy to survive in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation.
Announcing that this would be his final conference as NGE president, Anaba thanked Guild members for their support and acknowledged the contributions of past leaders such as Sam Amuka, Segun Osoba, Nduka Obaigbena, Kabiru Yusuf and John Momoh. He expressed confidence that the gathering would strengthen the media’s role in sustaining democracy and better equip editors to meet emerging challenges.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
