IPC Presents Report on Rebuilding Trust in Nigeria’s Electoral Process and signing of MoU with NAWOJ, GOCOP
Oru Leonard
The International Press Centre (IPC), has taken a significant step towards strengthening Nigeria’s democratic governance by presenting a report on rebuilding trust in the country’s electoral process. The report is a culmination of media-led, multi-stakeholder dialogues conducted across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones between 2023 and 2025.
The IPC emphasized the critical role of the media in shaping public trust in Nigeria’s democratic institutions, while highlighting the media’s dual role as a mirror and mediator in reflecting public sentiment and shaping narratives
The event, held on November 3, 2025, at BON Hotel Octagon in Abuja, also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IPC, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP). The MoU aims to create an enabling environment for impactful and inclusive election reporting, with a focus on promoting accountability and professional standards in media reporting, particularly on gender-related electoral issues.
According to the Executive Director, Lanre Arogundade who gave an overview of the report titled: ” Safeguarding Electoral Intergrity for Democratic Consolidation”, will enhance the Media – Led Multi- Stakeholder Dialogue Reoort on Rebuilding Electoral Trust ahead of the 2027 Elections.
He indentified key objectives as follows:
– Enhance accountability and professional standards in media reporting
– Promote inclusive and public-interest-driven election reporting
– Establish performance benchmarks for media reporting on gender-related electoral issues
– Foster collaboration among stakeholders to strengthen democratic governance and electoral integrity in Nigeria.
Speaking earlier, Mrs Stella Nwofia, Programm Manager of IPC Nwofia stressed the need for scrutiny of all stakeholders, including government institutions, political parties, candidates, and security agencies, not just INEC.
– She also questioned whether the media and civil society organizations have upheld standards of transparency, responsibility, and public trust in their duties.
The event brought together key electoral stakeholders, including representatives of theNigerian Police Force, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), EU-SDGNII project partners, media organizations, civil society groups, and other institutional stakeholders. These stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening democratic governance and electoral integrity in Nigeria.
The IPC report and MoU signing are expected to contribute significantly to the ongoing efforts to rebuild trust in Nigeria’s electoral process. The collaboration between IPC, NAWOJ, and GOCOP is seen as a crucial step towards promoting inclusive and credible elections in Nigeria.
