Governors urge journalists to shun hate speech, fake news ahead of 2027 polls
Abuja, Octber 29, 2026 Governors of Kano and Kaduna states have urged journalists to promote responsible reporting avoid hate speech and fake news reporting ahead of the 2027 general elections.
They said reporting personality attacks, divisive political narratives and unverified reports could undermine democratic institutions and erode public confidence in the electoral process and national unity.
They spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of the book titled “Digital Shift in Nigeria’s Newspaper Industry” authored by Leadership Newspapers Group News Editor, Dr Sunday Isuwa.
Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano, represented by the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Mr Ibrahim Waiya, expressed concern over unhealthy political campaigns ahead of polls.
“What we are seeing is not really healthy to our democracy, particularly the practices of hate speech and turning politics into personality attacks,” he said at the event.
He said political competition should focus on issues affecting citizens rather than resorting to personal attacks against opponents and promoting division in the country.
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna, represented by Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Ahmed Maiyaki, urged journalists to verify information thoroughly and consider implications of reports for democratic development.
Sani said journalists must look beyond reporting campaign events to scrutinising facts and ensuring their coverage contributes positively to strengthening democracy and national cohesion in Nigeria.
He said: “Campaigns will end, posters will end, some will win and some will lose, but what is more important is this corporate entity called Nigeria that must thrive.”
He noted that technological changes and Artificial Intelligence were reshaping newsroom operations, shrinking staff strength and putting media jobs at risk across the entire industry.
He said journalists should develop multimedia skills to remain relevant as artificial intelligence increasingly influences news production, distribution and consumption globally and locally.
In a paper presentation, Archbishop Dr Sunday Onuoha called on media organisations to establish clear policies governing the use of artificial intelligence in journalism ahead of 2027.
Onuoha, President of Vision Africa and former Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Privatisation, was represented by Bishop Frederick Onoja of Kubwa Diocese.
He urged media houses to establish dedicated election verification teams before political campaigns intensify and to develop written rules governing AI-generated material and AI-assisted journalism.
He also called for partnerships with credible fact-checking organisations, training of political reporters in electoral law, data journalism, digital investigation and conflict-sensitive reporting and hate-speech monitoring.
He advocated clear separation between advertising and editorial decisions, proper labelling of sponsored political content, stronger correction policies, and establishment of misinformation hotlines for citizens’ verification.
Earlier, Isuwa urged journalists against allowing pressure to publish quickly in the digital age to undermine accuracy, ethical conduct and public trust in media.
He said: “Digital tools can help journalism reach more people, but technology alone cannot guarantee good journalism, which depends on ethical practice, verification and fairness.”
He said the book examined how digital platforms had changed news production, distribution and consumption while highlighting responsibilities accompanying those technological changes for journalists.
Rev. John Hayab, Country Director of Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, said public trust remained the most valuable asset essential to survival of media organisations.
“No matter how much any media organisation makes, when it loses the currency of trust, it is just a matter of time before it will shut down completely.”
Mr Kudla Haske, Founder of Aerokeys Nigeria Limited, expressed concern that voter participation remained low compared with the country’s estimated 230 million population.
According to him, if democracy is truly government of the people, at least 50 million should participate in elections, adding that less than 20 million voted previously.
He called for greater public awareness to encourage Nigerians to obtain permanent voter cards and participate actively in choosing leaders during the 2027 general elections nationwide.
