By Chinedum Treasure
The Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) has expressed concern over the growing spread of misinformation and disinformation in Nigeria, warning that the trend could undermine electoral integrity and public trust ahead of future elections.
The organisation raised the concern in a communiqué issued after a three-day regional workshop titled “Truth at the Ballot: Strengthening Media and Civil Society for Democratic and Peaceful Elections in Nigeria.”
The programme was organised with FactCheckAfrica under the European Union Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project.
The communiqué, signed by researcher and fact-checker Mustapha Lawal, noted that digital platforms have become major channels for the spread of false information capable of influencing voter behaviour and deepening ethnic, religious and political divisions.
Participants reaffirmed their commitment to promoting ethical journalism, fact-checking, responsible public communication and peaceful democratic participation ahead of the Osun governorship election and the 2027 general elections.
They also pledged to strengthen verification practices, adopt digital verification tools, counter false information through accurate reporting, and promote voter education while discouraging the spread of unverified electoral claims and hate speech.
The communiqué stressed that although Artificial Intelligence offers opportunities for journalism and fact-checking, it also poses risks through manipulated content and automated misinformation campaigns. It called for stronger collaboration among journalists, fact-checkers, civil society organisations, technology platforms and electoral stakeholders to safeguard Nigeria’s democratic process.
Tags: FIAP, Misinformation, Elections, Fact-checking, Nigeria
