The Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) has called on the Nigerian media to strengthen collaboration with communication scholars ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly in tackling the growing threats posed by artificial intelligence, misinformation and digital manipulation.
National President of ACSPN, Professor Rotimi Williams Olatunji, made the call on Monday, August 31, 2026, at a press conference in Abuja to herald the association’s 2026 Annual Conference scheduled to hold at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja.
The conference, themed “Media, Technology and Elections in Africa: Navigating Digital Disruption and the New Dynamics of Electoral Communication,” is expected to examine the rapidly changing communication environment and its implications for Nigeria’s electoral democracy.
Olatunji said the conference was coming at a critical period as Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections, noting that technology, artificial intelligence, social media, digital platforms and data-driven political communication were fundamentally changing how citizens receive information, engage political actors, form opinions and participate in elections.
He stressed the need for journalists to develop stronger capacity to interrogate data and understand emerging technologies, while urging media organisations to improve their ability to detect misinformation, disinformation and digital manipulation.
According to him, communication scholars and media professionals constitute “two wings of one bird,” with scholars generating knowledge and intellectual frameworks, while media practitioners translate information into public knowledge, hold institutions accountable and facilitate public conversations.
“Neither wing can effectively fly alone. That is why a stronger partnership between communication scholars and the media is indispensable,” he said.
The ACSPN president urged the media to take the issues to be discussed at the conference beyond the academic environment and make them accessible to citizens across the country.
He called for greater public awareness on the implications of artificial intelligence, algorithms, data analytics, social media and digital platforms for the 2027 elections, as well as sustained efforts to promote fact-based public discourse and challenge misinformation and disinformation.
Olatunji also urged journalists to hold all stakeholders accountable, including ACSPN itself, stressing that citizens must have access to credible information to make informed democratic choices.
The National President disclosed that the 2026 conference would also witness the introduction of the ACSPN Fellowship and Special Awards, designed to recognise outstanding contributions to communication scholarship, professional practice and national development.
He said the Posthumous Fellowship Award would honour pioneering members and leaders of the association, including the late Professor Lai Oso, the Foundation President of ACSPN and former Dean of the School of Communication at Lagos State University, as well as the late Professor Dayo Alao, former Vice-Chancellor of Adeleke University.
Living pioneers and distinguished contributors to the association would also be recognised, including Professor Idowu Sobowale, Professor Nosa Owens-Ibie, Professor Umaru Alhaji Pate, Professor Stella Okunna, Mr Lanre Idowu, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, OON, and Professor Rotimi Olatunji.
Olatunji explained that the awards were intended not merely as honours but as a means of preserving institutional memory, promoting continuity and encouraging intergenerational mentorship within the association.
He said ACSPN, a non-profit organisation registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission since 2013, was established to promote excellence in communication scholarship and professional practice while contributing to governance, development, social cohesion, democracy and national integration.
He expressed the association’s readiness to deploy its intellectual resources, professional expertise and institutional capacity toward building a more informed, inclusive, peaceful and credible electoral process.
“As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 elections, ACSPN is prepared to contribute its intellectual resources, professional expertise and institutional capacity to the task of building a more informed, inclusive, peaceful and credible democratic process,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to make the 2026 ACSPN Annual Conference more than an academic gathering, describing it as a potential “national laboratory for democratic renewal.”
The conference is expected to bring together communication scholars, media professionals, policymakers and other stakeholders to deliberate on the future of electoral communication in Nigeria and Africa amid rapid digital transformation.
