Otunba Segun Showunmi a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has urged Nigerian journalists not to let opposition politicians and other political actors set the country ablaze with falsehoods misinformation and inflammatory statements ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Showunmi who made the appeal at a press conference in Kaduna on Sunday warned that fake news AI-generated content and divisive political propaganda pose serious threats to Nigeria’s democracy national unity and peaceful coexistence.
He urged journalists to hold both the ruling party and the opposition accountable insisting on issue-based campaigns rather than allowing politicians to manipulate public opinion through ethnic and religious sentiments. ‘Help us to insist that people stay on message whether they are opposition or even the ruling party. They should stay on message because that’s what’s going to be in our best interest’ he said.
The APC chieftain warned that the media must not surrender its professional responsibilities to untrained individuals who use digital platforms to spread falsehoods and instigate crises. ‘The stability of a nation is in the hands of those of you who own bylines who have the microphone who are in charge of all communication’ he told journalists.
Showunmi particularly cautioned against misusing artificial intelligence and social media to manipulate information incite young people and create political tension. ‘Manipulating things using AI playing tricks instigating small small children causing crisis how does that help us?’ he asked adding: ‘If somebody if I’m telling lies stop me. If they are telling lies stop them.’
He also commended Kaduna residents and journalists for the peaceful reception they accorded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his campaign team during Saturday’s APC presidential campaign flag-off saying the impressive turnout contradicted earlier reports that the President might face hostility in the state.
‘Ladies and gentlemen help me through you thank the people of Kaduna. Do you know how my heart was in my mouth? Because of all the nonsense information: ‘Ah nobody wants to see them; they’re going to tear posters.’ Why now?’ he asked warning against political narratives that could make Nigerians feel unwelcome in certain parts of their country.
Describing Kaduna as a symbol of Nigeria’s diversity and peaceful coexistence Showunmi urged political leaders not to destroy longstanding relationships among ethnic and religious communities through desperate political ambitions. ‘One of the greatest unique things about Kaduna is that wallahi Kaduna is the Lagos of the North’ he said recalling how Christians and Muslims traditionally interacted freely and celebrated together despite their religious differences.
Turning to the 2027 presidential election Showunmi urged Nigerians particularly Northerners to support Tinubu’s re-election bid arguing that continuity would consolidate ongoing reforms and create opportunities for a new generation of political leaders. ‘Help us to support him get him over the line with big numbers so that we can start planning the future’ he appealed.
He criticised what he described as the endless presidential ambitions of some established Northern politicians arguing that their continued struggle for power denied younger equally capable politicians opportunities to emerge. ‘You cannot have a perpetual non-ending ambition that has even disturbed a lot of brilliant young Northerners from even being able to come up’ he said.
‘Must it be only you? Can’t people sit down somewhere and let’s even look for other people? Maybe when those ones are talking the language will even be sweeter in our ears’ he added while advocating political accommodation and a predictable regional power-sharing arrangement to reduce tension over presidential succession.
Defending the Tinubu administration’s economic policies Showunmi maintained that Nigerians should assess the government’s performance through infrastructure development educational opportunities workers’ wages pension payments and security interventions rather than political propaganda. He particularly cited access to higher education financing for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and an alleged reduction in dialysis costs from N50000 to N20000 as examples of interventions intended to ease hardship.
However he argued that the President should not be solely responsible for tackling poverty unemployment and inadequate public services stressing that governors and local government chairmen must also be held accountable for the resources available to them. ‘You can’t run a country to lead people out of poverty only from the office of the President’ he said urging journalists to scrutinise governance at the state and local government levels.
Showunmi also urged Nigerians to appreciate the sacrifices of military personnel police officers and other security operatives confronting insurgency kidnapping and other security challenges. He maintained that political disagreements should not overshadow efforts to improve national security and he called for balanced reporting that acknowledges both government interventions and areas needing improvement.
The campaign council member who said his meeting with journalists was also meant to thank them for their contributions and to hear their concerns expressed confidence in the profession’s future. ‘I have come to thank you. I have come to beg you. I have come to listen to you’ he said adding: ‘This profession will not go extinct. Our pen will not dry. Our microphone will not go silent and our televisions will not go blank.’