By Martha Agas
The Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) has called for stronger fact-checking of information, particularly of electoral content, as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections.
The National President of ACSPN, Prof. Rotimi Olatunji, made the call at a news conference ahead of the association’s 13th Annual International Conference on Monday at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) headquarters in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NCS is supporting ACSPN’s efforts to promote credible information and combat fake news, particularly by examining the growing influence of digital technologies on electoral communication.
The two-day conference will be held on Sept. 2 and Sept. 3 at the National Open University of Nigeria Abuja with the theme, ‘Media, Technology and Elections in Africa: Navigating Digital Disruption and the New Dynamics of Electoral Communication.’
Olatunji emphasised the need to fact-check information before accepting or sharing it, amid the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and polarised social media, where AI tools could be used to clone people through deepfakes.
“This has led to a series of breaches.
“This includes misinformation, dissemination of fake news, falsehoods and distortions, particularly in an era of deepfakes, where citizens can manipulate voices, images and data to make them appear real,” he said.
He described the situation as a great challenge, saying governments across nations had been trying to regulate, control and enforce the role of social and digital media in reporting critical and sensitive issues.
Olatunji noted that even with the Cybercrimes Act , concerted efforts were required to address the situation especially through digital literacy.
He urged media professionals to always fact-check information on all platforms as the 2027 elections unfold to ensure presenting the public with verified information.
“We are advocating that every newsroom should have a fact-checking desk as long as elections are concerned,” he said.
According to the ACSPN President, the 2026 conference is particularly significant because it comes at a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
He said that as Nigeria approached the 2027 general elections, the country and the African continent was confronted by a rapidly changing communication environment.
He said technology, AI, social media, digital platforms and data-driven political communication were fundamentally transforming how citizens received information, engaged with political actors, formed opinions and participated in elections.
The conference, he said, would provide a platform for stakeholders to examine how technology could be deployed to strengthen transparency, voter participation and public confidence in the electoral process while addressing its potential misuse.
Olatunji said the conference would also feature the conferment of ACSPN Fellowship on distinguished communication scholars and media professionals.
He acknowledged media professionals as crucial in translating information into public knowledge, holding institutions accountable, amplifying citizens’ voices and providing platforms for public conversation.
He said stronger collaboration between communication scholars and the media was indispensable, particularly as Nigeria approached the 2027 elections.
The ACSPN president said media professionals must be equipped to interrogate data, understand artificial intelligence and digital manipulation, as well as detect and counter misinformation and disinformation.
He thanked the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS), Bashir Adeniyi for supporting the association in its advocacy for responsible communication.
In his remarks, NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada expressed confidence that discussions at the conference would strengthen mechanisms for verifying information before publication, particularly as social media continued to provide avenues for the rapid spread of false information.
NAN reports that 300 abstracts have so far been submitted for the conference, while 500 participants, including Nigerians in the diaspora, are expected to attend.(NAN)
Edited by Yakubu Uba