With political activities expected to gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified fake news and misinformation as one of the biggest threats to credible polls, announcing a strategic partnership with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to educate Nigerians and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
The partnership, unveiled on Wednesday during a strategic meeting at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, will drive a nationwide voter education campaign aimed at countering false information, correcting misconceptions about elections and rebuilding public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, warned that the increasing spread of fake news before and during elections has continued to undermine trust in the electoral system, discourage voter participation and fuel unnecessary tension.
He said while INEC has invested significantly in technology, logistics and administrative reforms to improve elections, those efforts could be undermined if misinformation is allowed to shape public perception.
According to him, misinformation has become a powerful weapon capable of discouraging citizens from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
Recalling the last Federal Capital Territory election, Amupitan said fabricated claims circulated online, including an old violence-related video falsely presented as current election violence and allegations that hundreds of thousands of Permanent Voter Cards had been secretly stored for a political party.
Although the claims were later proven false, he noted that they had already created fear and uncertainty among voters.
He stressed that the commission would now work closely with NOA to ensure accurate electoral information reaches Nigerians at the grassroots in indigenous languages, while also educating citizens on voting procedures and the legal safeguards protecting the electoral process.
“The fight against fake news is central to safeguarding the credibility of the 2027 elections,” he said, adding that informed citizens remain the strongest defence against election misinformation.
Amupitan described NOA as a strategic partner with the grassroots reach needed to counter false narratives and promote democratic values across the country.
In his remarks, NOA Director-General, Mallam Issa Onilu, said the collaboration was timely, noting that the 2023 general elections exposed significant gaps in civic education, particularly among young and first-time voters who relied heavily on information shared through digital platforms.
He said continuous voter education, rather than periodic campaigns, would help citizens identify false information and make informed electoral decisions.
Onilu added that NOA’s nationwide network of offices would be deployed to support community-based sensitisation, public enlightenment and feedback gathering ahead of the 2027 polls.
Under the partnership, both agencies will jointly implement a comprehensive grassroots civic education programme focusing on combating fake news, promoting voter participation, clarifying electoral procedures and restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process before the 2027 general elections.
