When Editors Gather In Enugu…

The 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC 2026) took place in Enugu from September 23 to 27, 2026. The occasion marks a landmark moment in Nigerian journalism. Organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and held at The Dome, International Conference Centre (ICC), the conference drew over 300 of the nation’s top editors, media owners, academics, and civic leaders. The event moved beyond a standard professional gathering to become an urgent, collective stand to protect Nigeria’s democracy. Under the theme, ‘The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,’ and its timely sub-theme, ‘When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Disinformation Before, During and After Election,’ the conference focused on pressing threats to modern journalism. The event addressed urgent political debates, high-tech media ethics discussions, and local governance, showing that the press remains essential to holding power accountable.

** Trust And Accountability**

The event’s chairman, also the Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, set the tone for the conference. He challenged the audience to rethink what African governance means. In his remarks, Igwe Achebe noted that long before Western ballot boxes were introduced, African communities relied on open dialogue and holding their leaders publicly accountable. This perspective reinforced the idea that modern journalism is not an imported concept, but a natural continuation of traditional accountability. He called on editors to hold public officials accountable to the public.

The keynote speaker and the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja Diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, examined why democracy still fails to meet the basic needs of ordinary Nigerians after nearly three decades of unbroken civilian rule. He described the press’s role in sustaining and deepening democracy as irreplaceable, calling on media practitioners not to relent in exposing corruption and demanding better leadership. The cleric enumerated the many challenges in evolving an effective electoral process and noted that Nigerians must still demand greater efficiency to ensure the ballot form of government adheres to global best practices.

Onaiyekan rejected arguments that Nigerians should simply wait for democracy to mature over generations, saying, “We must never give up our efforts to keep pushing for a government of the people, by the people, for the people. We cannot accept the specious argument that democracy has taken centuries to build in some nations, and that so we should wait for hundreds of years to achieve our own. We have the experience of history, and we cannot be re-inventing the wheel.”

In his goodwill message to the conference, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Hon Mohammed Idris, congratulated the editors on holding the conference as the nation prepared for the 2027 polls. He advised the media to tell the truth and publish only what is verifiable so Nigerians can be properly informed. He reminded the audience of many strides recorded by the present regime, including the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy to free funds for national development and the provision of loans to tertiary students, among others. Idris, represented by the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reiterated the Tinubu-led administration’s resolve to improve citizens’ conditions amid the hardship caused by the reforms being implemented.

** Threat of AI**

The most innovative and urgent discussions at ANEC 2026 focused on its sub-theme regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital disinformation. In an environment where synthetic media, deepfakes, and automated bot networks can convincingly mimic reality, traditional fact-checking methods are no longer sufficient. The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, speaking on the topic, ‘The ballot, the media and the task of keeping democracy alive.’ Lamented that the courts had increasingly become involved in determining electoral outcomes, raising questions about whether voters or judges were deciding elections. Describing the situation as the “judicialisation of the electoral process”, the senior lawyer added that Nigeria had one of the highest numbers of election petitions.

Beyond stressing that the courts have gradually and increasingly usurped the role of the voters in determining the representatives of the people, Osigwe questioned the effectiveness of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), pointing out that technologies introduced to strengthen elections had created fresh legal and evidentiary challenges. The former NBA president urged editors to combat misinformation, noting that amplifying unverified social media figures from politicians creates conflicting narratives.

Way Forward

At the end of the three-day event in Enugu, rounded off with Gala Nite and the induction of new members and fellows, the NGE synthesised the days of debate into clear resolutions. Reminding stakeholders that “democracy requires active participation, vigilance, and responsibility from both citizens and institutions”, the editors outlined several core commitments the media must tackle. They include the Adoption of Advanced Verification Systems, in which newsrooms must commit to using digital tools to identify and debunk AI-generated disinformation before it spreads to the public.

Enugu provided a platform for editors’ pledge to resist political pressure, financial coercion, and partisan influence ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle. Calling on media owners and the state to protect investigative journalists’ safety and working conditions, the nation’s news gatekeepers resolved to tell the truth and not spread propaganda from politicians seeking electoral victory.

By addressing the dual challenges of political accountability and technological deception, the NGE proved that the press remains a cornerstone of the nation’s democratic architecture. The contrast between the discussions and the media tour of infrastructure projects across Enugu provided a clear lesson: just as a state requires physical infrastructure to grow, a democracy requires an ethical, independent, and tech-literate media to survive.

There is no doubt that the renewed commitment by editors to protect the ballot box, dismantle digital falsehoods, and ensure the press continues to serve the Nigerian people remains the only way forward to sustain democracy and create an enabling environment for the growth of ballot government.