Key policymakers have advocated for a comprehensive framework to address challenges that the increasing sophistication of misinformation campaigns poses to elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This call was made during a panel session at the National Dialogue on Election Disinformation, organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) on Jan. 29, 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dialogue, which was held in Abuja, was supported by the National Democratic Institute (NDI). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a panel session discussing the scope of disinformation in subnational elections and the way forward, these experts noted that a framework would mitigate election disinformation and boost public trust in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This session was moderated by Okey Ibeanu, a professor of political science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speakers at this session were Rhoda Sadus, a deputy director at the National Orientation Agency (NOA), who represented David Akoji, the organisation\u2019s special duties director, Akwu Ogbadu, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room\u2019s coordinator, Olusola Odumosu, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) commandant, Victoria Eta-Messi, the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) gender relations director, who represented Sam Olumekun, the commission’s voter education chairman, Safiya Bichi, Head of Knowledge Management and Learning at Yiaga Africa, and Abiodun Banjoko, Programme Director at Kimpact Development Initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Odumosu from the NSCDC emphasised that sharing accurate information is a proactive way to mitigate security concerns during elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn sub-national elections, conducting election processes can vary significantly across states due to security concerns. Citizens must understand how secure their local governments are for elections’ success.\u201d He added, \u201cWe must ensure that our communication strategies are robust enough to handle unforeseen circumstances that may arise during elections,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ms Eta-Messi pointed out that INEC actively engages with the media to ensure proper communication, especially during elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe cannot afford to remain silent when misinformation spreads. By making our information accessible and transparent, we prevent people from filling the information vacuum with their narratives. We constantly maintain direct lines of communication with journalists and media outlets,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disseminating accurate information to grassroots communities is crucial to the NOA\u2019s mission objective, and Ms Sadus revealed that the organisation is putting all hands on deck. She admitted that many youths in rural communities are active on social media despite contradictory assumptions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis means we must engage with them through these platforms and leverage local opinion leaders who hold significant influence over public perception,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ms Bichi highlighted the necessity of adapting content for younger audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need to produce election reports in local languages to ensure they resonate with young people. It\u2019s not just about reaching them but also about speaking their language and understanding their context. This approach is vital for effective communication,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Banjoko shared insights on their initiative to combat misinformation. He revealed that the organisation developed an artificial intelligence platform called ‘Naija Elections’ to provide verified information about electoral processes. He said the innovation is driven by the need to equip citizens with accurate data to make informed decisions amidst misinformation crises leading to public unrest during election periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Ogbadu reflected on past experiences with misinformation during elections, where a partnership with various stakeholders was crucial in identifying and addressing false information. He urged decision-makers to adapt strategies to tackle misinformation effectively at the subnational level or national stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Key policymakers have advocated for a comprehensive framework to address challenges that the increasing sophistication of misinformation campaigns poses to elections. This call was made during a panel session at the National Dialogue on Election Disinformation, organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) on Jan. 29, 2025. The dialogue, which was held in Abuja, was supported by the National Democratic Institute (NDI). During a panel session discussing the scope of disinformation in subnational elections and the way forward, these experts noted that a framework would mitigate election disinformation and boost public trust in the country. This session was moderated by Okey Ibeanu, a professor of political science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Speakers at this session were Rhoda Sadus, a deputy director at the National Orientation Agency (NOA), who represented David Akoji, the organisation\u2019s special duties director, Akwu Ogbadu, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room\u2019s coordinator, Olusola Odumosu, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) commandant, Victoria Eta-Messi, the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) gender relations director, who represented Sam Olumekun, the commission’s voter education chairman, Safiya Bichi, Head of Knowledge Management and Learning at Yiaga Africa, and Abiodun Banjoko, Programme Director at Kimpact Development Initiative. Mr Odumosu from the NSCDC emphasised that sharing accurate information is a proactive way to mitigate security concerns during elections. \u201cIn sub-national elections, conducting election processes can vary significantly across states due to security concerns. Citizens must understand how secure their local governments are for elections’ success.\u201d He added, \u201cWe must ensure that our communication strategies are robust enough to handle unforeseen circumstances that may arise during elections,\u201d he said. Ms Eta-Messi pointed out that INEC actively engages with the media to ensure proper communication, especially during elections. \u201cWe cannot afford to remain silent when misinformation spreads. By making our information accessible and transparent, we prevent people from filling the information vacuum with their narratives. We constantly maintain direct lines of communication with journalists and media outlets,\u201d he said. Disseminating accurate information to grassroots communities is crucial to the NOA\u2019s mission objective, and Ms Sadus revealed that the organisation is putting all hands on deck. She admitted that many youths in rural communities are active on social media despite contradictory assumptions. \u201cThis means we must engage with them through these platforms and leverage local opinion leaders who hold significant influence over public perception,\u201d she said. Ms Bichi highlighted the necessity of adapting content for younger audiences. \u201cWe need to produce election reports in local languages to ensure they resonate with young people. It\u2019s not just about reaching them but also about speaking their language and understanding their context. This approach is vital for effective communication,\u201d she said. Mr Banjoko shared insights on their initiative to combat misinformation. He revealed that the organisation developed an artificial intelligence platform called ‘Naija Elections’ to provide verified information about electoral processes. He said the innovation is driven by the need to equip citizens with accurate data to make informed decisions amidst misinformation crises leading to public unrest during election periods. Mr Ogbadu reflected on past experiences with misinformation during elections, where a partnership with various stakeholders was crucial in identifying and addressing false information. He urged decision-makers to adapt strategies to tackle misinformation effectively at the subnational level or national stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"default","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1688,5,3812,3815,1574],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[3263],"class_list":["post-21422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-elections","category-headline","category-homepage","category-media-literacy"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-5zw","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":3263,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"phillip-anjorin","display_name":"Phillip Anjorin","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/98daaf5d9d7a2c5cd4ce1c417532d1cfa2ca293247710cf46a925146cc2e90e1?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dialogue-on-election.jpg?fit=1080%2C608&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21424,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21422\/revisions\/21424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21422"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=21422"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=21422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}