The Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP), in collaboration with FactCheckAfrica and the European Union’s support project for ECOWAS, recently convened a critical three-day workshop titled “Truth at the Ballot.” This gathering brought together a diverse group of stakeholders—including journalists, fact-checkers, digital rights activists, and civil society leaders—to confront the alarming erosion of Nigeria’s information landscape. The core issue at hand is the explosion of misinformation and coordinated digital manipulation that now defines the country’s electoral environment. Experts at the workshop highlighted how these tactics are not merely technical glitches but deliberate strategies designed to exploit Nigeria’s existing ethnic, religious, and political tensions. By turning social media platforms into toxic battlegrounds, bad actors are effectively eroding the public trust required for a healthy, functioning democracy.
Beyond the generalized spread of falsehoods, the workshop shined a long-overdue light on the human cost of digital warfare. There is a deep, growing concern regarding the targeted harassment and exclusionary narratives aimed at vulnerable segments of society, specifically women, young people, persons with disabilities, and minorities. In a digital space that should ideally facilitate democratic participation, these groups are instead facing coordinated attacks designed to silence their voices and intimidate them into retreating from public life. For these populations, the rise of hate speech and derogatory online discourse represents a direct threat to their right to engage in civic processes, creating a chilling effect that undermines the inclusive nature of fair and democratic elections.
Recognizing the gravity of these threats, the participants at the workshop have emerged with a renewed and collective sense of urgency. Led by researcher and fact-checker Mustapha Lawal, the group issued a formal communiqué pledging to transform their newfound knowledge into tangible action. They acknowledge that the integrity of information is not the responsibility of a single entity but a shared duty that spans across institutions, media houses, and everyday citizens. As the nation looks toward upcoming regional contests like the Osun governorship election and the broader 2027 general elections, this coalition is positioning itself as a firewall against the rising tide of inflammatory rhetoric, emphasizing that the protection of truth is, ultimately, the protection of the Nigerian state itself.
To turn these commitments into reality, the workshop participants have mapped out a rigorous technical and ethical roadmap. Rather than relying on traditional reporting methods alone, journalists and civil society actors are now integrating advanced verification workflows into their daily operations. This includes practical training in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), reverse image searching, geolocation, and AI-assisted verification. By adopting these tools, media professionals are better equipped to debunk manipulated content before it gains traction. More importantly, they are committing to a style of journalism that prioritizes evidence over speed, ensuring that facts serve as the bedrock of public discourse, even in the high-stakes, high-pressure environments of election seasons.
The group’s strategy is deeply rooted in the concept of “democratic resilience,” requiring an active, not passive, approach to civic engagement. This includes launching proactive voter education initiatives that empower citizens to act as their own first line of defense against rumor-mongering. Central to this mission is the #CheckBeforeYouPost campaign, an initiative designed to foster a culture of skepticism and responsibility among social media users. The goal is to move the Nigerian public away from the reflexive habit of sharing sensationalized content and toward a more thoughtful, verified approach to information consumption. By advocating for digital hygiene, the collective aims to starve disinformation of the oxygen it needs to spread, thereby preventing the escalation of localized tensions into broader social instability.
Finally, the participants have pledged to ensure that their work remains deeply human-centered and inclusive. They have committed to challenging the stereotypes and discriminatory narratives that have historically barred marginalized groups from the political arena. By prioritizing gender-sensitive reporting and promoting the voices of Nigeria’s youth, they are working to expand the definition of who belongs in the democratic dialogue. Recognizing that this work can be dangerous in an age of rising online vitriol, the workshop also focused on the psychosocial and digital safety of practitioners, ensuring that those who stand up for the truth are supported. In the lead-up to the next set of polls, this coalition stands ready not just as observers, but as guardians of an information ecosystem that is safe, inclusive, and fundamentally grounded in the truth.