ABUJA — Nigeria’s National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) have agreed to collaborate on a nationwide voter education and public enlightenment campaign ahead of the country’s 2027 general elections.
The partnership was announced in Abuja on Tuesday when the NOA Director-General, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, hosted an ACOE delegation led by its Chairman, Sola Akingboye, at the agency’s headquarters.
Issa-Onilu said the alliance is designed to leverage digital news platforms to curb electoral misinformation, encourage peaceful civic participation, and reach Nigeria’s predominantly young population—with roughly 76 per cent of citizens under the age of 35.
“We need third-party media to get through to some critical audiences,” Issa-Onilu told the editors, noting that while the NOA operates 810 field offices nationwide, digital publishers remain essential for engaging youth demographics.
Addressing misconceptions from the 2023 elections
Highlighting lessons learned from Nigeria’s 2023 presidential and parliamentary polls, Issa-Onilu noted that widespread confusion over electoral procedures fueled unnecessary political disputes, particularly on social media.
The agency’s newly launched voter mobilization drive—targeting nearly 100 million registered voters—will focus on clarifying hybrid election mechanics and institutional rules:
- Procedural Clarity: Educating citizens on the distinction between biometric accreditation, physical balloting, and electronic result transmission, alongside constitutional rules governing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
- Institutional Trust: Working alongside the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to bolster public confidence following recent off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun states.
- Countering Disinformation: Urging journalists to uphold accountability while resisting coordinated attempts to erode trust in democratic institutions through deliberate falsehoods.
Media access and civic engagement
Speaking on behalf of the association—which represents more than 50 digital news organizations—ACOE Chairman Sola Akingboye said members would deploy their editorial reach to amplify verified public sensitization campaigns and the agency’s National Values Charter.
Akingboye requested streamlined access to NOA state and zonal offices for firsthand reporting, while formally inviting Issa-Onilu to deliver the keynote address at ACOE’s upcoming national development public lecture on 19 November 2026.
The NOA chief confirmed that the agency’s Communication and Media Department will prioritize accredited online editors for official briefings and field access as election preparations intensify.
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