The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOP) has raised the alarm over twin concerns of fake news and political exclusion of women ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections warning that both might damage the integrity of the vote.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its 10th Annual Conference held on October 7 and 8, 2026 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, GOCOP cited false news, unconfirmed leaks, altered material and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes as major dangers to the election process.
The conference cautioned such material could deepen differences, hinder election turnout and do damage that later retractions might not be able to undo.
“Information disorder – fake news, unverified leaks, synthetic media and AI-generated deepfakes – is a direct threat to the vote,” the statement said. It breeds divisiveness, suppresses turnout and retractions rarely undo the harm.
The Guild asked members and other media organisations to put accuracy before speed, to avoid clickbait and to preserve election coverage from partisan and proprietorial interests.
It warned that unverified polling unit results, manipulated result sheets and provocative conjecture will not be allowed on its platforms and that infractions will attract punishments under its code of conduct.
On women’s engagement, GOCOP raised concerns that “inclusion is still largely performative” with “opaque consensus arrangements used by political parties for selecting candidates systematically excluding women.
The Guild cautioned that according to current trends, fewer women could be elected representatives in 2027 unless steps were taken deliberately.
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The conference called on the National Assembly to pass laws to particularly target increased involvement and representation of women in the political process.
It also advised political parties to hold open and transparent candidate selection and to abolish the opaque consensus procedures that exclude women.
Adaora Onyechere Sydney-Jack, a gender equality advocate, who appeared at a panel session during the conference, described the figures as disturbing.
“We saw that only three female senatorial candidates emerged from across the 22 political parties in the country, on June 8, 2026 after the primaries of the different political parties in the country,” she remarked. That’s a big drop from what we had in 2019.
She said that no woman was on the ballot papers for the 2023 presidential elections and in 2026 only two women were among the 22 political parties.
“We want to move from this performative inclusion to real-time inclusion for women,” she said.
The Guild also condemned the limited accessibility of election laws and guidelines, stating that Nigeria’s linguistic variety comprising of around 250 ethnic groups made the continuous publication of electoral legislation in English only a huge hindrance to wider public comprehension.
It recommended translating the Electoral Act, pertinent laws and voter-education materials into major Nigerian languages and access formats for persons living with impairments.
GOCOP also voiced worry about the insufficient accountability for election violations, stating that the limited punishment of offenders could promote impunity.
It urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to collaborate with prosecuting authorities to prosecute electoral violations and to publish the results.
The conference noted that only 38 per cent of Nigerians have faith in the authenticity of elections, adding that trust was not inherited or handed down, but earned through continuous, verifiable and transparent execution.
It also highlighted the cost of living as the number one issue that would likely influence voter’s decisions, encouraging political parties and candidates to base their campaigns on topics that affect Nigerians and avoid disinformation and provocation.
The communiqué was signed by GOCOP President, Danlami Nmodu and General Secretary, Sufuyan Ojeifo.
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