2027: Protect ballot, keep democracy alive — Eze Anaba tells Editors

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Eze Anaba, President, the Nigerian Guild of Editors

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…Tells editors to remain above board, serve public good

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ENUGU — President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, and Editor of Vanguard, Eze Anaba, has urged editors to protect the credibility of the ballot and help keep Nigeria’s democracy alive as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.

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Anaba spoke in his welcome address at the 22nd Annual All Nigerian Editors Conference in Enugu, themed, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive.”

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He said the media, alongside other critical institutions, had a responsibility to nurture democracy by ensuring that voters were adequately informed and electoral outcomes reflected the choices of the people.

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According to him, the credibility of the ballot must be protected to prevent the courts from having to determine who should represent the people.

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“The credibility of the ballot must be protected so that the courts do not have to replace the citizenry in determining who should represent the people,” he said.

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Anaba said the ballot could only fulfil its purpose when voters had access to credible information and were able to make their choices freely, without intimidation or undue influence.

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He urged editors to uphold verification, independence, accuracy, fairness, accountability and courage, particularly in an era of social media, artificial intelligence, deepfakes and rapid dissemination of misinformation.

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“As editors, we must remain above board in an increasingly polarised environment. We must not become agents of disorder. Neither should we display contradictory tendencies that cause the citizenry to question our credibility,” he said.

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Anaba said the overall responsibility of the media was to serve the public good and help ensure that government derived its legitimacy from the consent of the people.

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He added that the media must remain committed to informing citizens, holding power accountable and providing platforms for diverse voices.

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The NGE president said the theme of the conference was chosen because Nigeria was approaching another election cycle amid what he described as disturbing tendencies of political intolerance and hate speech capable of weakening democratic values.

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He also warned that economic pressures could undermine the performance of the media, stressing that democracy could not survive without a vibrant, independent and strong press.

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Anaba bows out as NGE president

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Anaba disclosed that the conference would be his last Annual Editors Conference as president of the Guild, with his successor expected to emerge at the next Biennial Editors Conference.

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He said consultations had already begun over his successor, although no specific coalition had yet emerged.

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Anaba expressed gratitude to members of the Guild for their cooperation and support during his tenure, describing his leadership of the organisation as a privilege.

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He also acknowledged the contributions of past Guild presidents and prominent media figures, including Sam Amuka, Segun Osoba, Nduka Obaigbena, Kabiru Yusuf and John Momoh, to the development of the Nigerian media.

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He expressed confidence that the conference would strengthen the media’s role in sustaining democracy and better equip editors to confront emerging challenges.

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