By Maryam Diallo Dakar
The Arewa Cohesion for Peace, Unity and Development Initiative (ACI) has announced plans to hold a one-day workshop aimed at strengthening the capacity of journalists to report elections fairly, accurately, objectively and in a conflict-sensitive manner.
In a press statement he issued to news men today in kaduna, Director General of ACI Dr. Abdullahi Idris announced the forthcoming workshop, which he said is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at the ACI Secretariat, 5B Isa Kaita Road, Kaduna, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
He added that the workshop, themed “Fair, Objective and Conflict-Sensitive Election Reporting: Strengthening Journalism for Credible Nigerian Elections,” is designed to deepen journalists’ understanding of their professional, legal and ethical responsibilities in election coverage.
According to the ACI Director-General, the media occupies a critical position in Nigeria’s democratic process, particularly during elections, when citizens depend on journalists for accurate information about candidates, political parties, electoral procedures, election-day developments and results.
He said the increasing spread of misinformation, disinformation, political propaganda, inflammatory content and manipulated digital materials makes it necessary for journalists to continually strengthen their professional capacity to verify information and report sensitive political developments responsibly.
Dr. Idris explained that the workshop would provide participants with practical knowledge on distinguishing facts from allegations, opinions and propaganda, while strengthening their ability to verify election-related claims, photographs, videos, statistics and social media content.
He added that the programme would also address the responsible reporting of political violence, hate speech and other sensitive incidents, noting that careless or inflammatory reporting could contribute to tensions at a time when accurate and responsible journalism is most needed.
The workshop, he said will further examine the legal framework governing elections and the responsibilities of journalists, as well as professional standards for reporting election campaigns, election-day activities, results, electoral disputes and related developments.
Other areas of focus, according to Dr Idris will include fact-checking and digital verification, social media verification, responsible use of artificial intelligence, conflict-sensitive reporting, hate speech, political manipulation, misinformation and disinformation, as well as the safety, independence and credibility of journalists and their sources.
Dr. Idris said ACI’s decision to organise the workshop was informed by the need to promote responsible journalism as an important component of credible elections, peaceful democratic participation and social cohesion.
He urged journalists and relevant stakeholders to take advantage of the workshop to strengthen their knowledge and professional tools for election coverage.
The ACI Director-General expressed the hope that the workshop would contribute to building a stronger culture of professional election reporting and ultimately support efforts towards credible, peaceful and inclusive democratic processes in Nigeria.
The workshop is scheduled for September 16, 2026, with proceedings commencing at 10:00 a.m. at the ACI Secretariat, 5B Isa Kaita Road, Kaduna.
