Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has declared that the credibility or otherwise of the upcoming 2027 elections will largely depend on the role of editors.
He said their reportage and opinion moulding before,during, and after the elections will determine how Nigerians appreciate its outcome.
Addressing the editors in Abuja on Wednesday at the start of their 2025 All Nigerian Editors Conference, Uzodimma declared ” what you do between now and 2027 election will determine not only what Nigerians know about 2027,but how they experience it. You will have to choose whether to frame candidates as threats or alternatives. ”
The governor who was the keynote Speaker at the event noted that as the mirror through which the society views matters, it was incumbent on editors to shape public opinion towards credible elections rather than feast on the perceived shortcomings.
He said they could achieve that by laying emphasis on national interest rather than bow to the pull of proprietary or commercial interests.
” National interest must be your editorial North star. National interest in an election year means coverage that informs without inflamming, that holds power accountable without treating every contest as a catastrophe, that allows citizens to make choices without making them believe that the process is irredeemably broken”, he submitted
Uzodimma, who spoke on the theme: 2027: EDITORS AS CATALYSTS OF DEMOCRACY, NATIONAL COHESION AND ELECTORAL INTEGRITY, insisted that editors must assume responsibility for this core aspect of elections instead of isolating themselves from it.
According to him, ” editors often treat electoral integrity as someone’s else responsibility…INEC, the executive, security agencies and civil society organisations. But it is yours too because you shape the information environment in which citizens form opinions and reach judgments.”
The Imo governor challenged editors to rise above proprietary interest, commercial and political considerations, and other sundry distractions to ensure that their practice contributed to a credible election in 2027.
He cautioned them not to allow “rumours and tribalism to masquerade as journalism as that would compromise the electoral integrity even before a single vote was cast.
” If unverified claims about rigging circulate unchecked in your pages or on your platforms, you have undermined the process regardless of INEC’s competence ‘, Uzodimma argued.
He however called on them to ensure that they use their services to achieve national cohesion by avoiding divisive publications.
The governor, who is the Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum, noted that because the public rely on the editors to assess the integrity of elections, they must have national cohesion in mind while helping to mould public opinion.
“Let 2027 be the election year where the Nigerian media became architects of a shared democratic future, where you demonstrated that journalism can be vigorous,engaging, commercially viable and work in the service of national cohesion”, Uzodimma concluded.
