With Chairman of the Conference His Royal Majesty, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe,Obi of Onitsha.
The Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, has challenged Nigerian editors to become the nation’s last line of defence against disinformation, warning that artificial intelligence (AI)-generated falsehoods now pose one of the greatest threats to electoral integrity and democratic survival.
Speaking on Thursday while declaring open the 2026 All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) in Enugu, Achebe said democracy cannot survive on its own but requires vigilant institutions, especially the media, to protect the truth before, during and after elections.
Addressing editors from across the country at the conference themed, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” the monarch likened democracy to a fire that must be constantly tended lest it dies unnoticed.
“Democracy is not a monument we erect and then walk away from. It is more like a fire lit to keep the house warm. It must be tended, fed, protected from wind and rain, or it dies quietly in the night while everyone believes it still burns,” he said.
Achebe, who reflected on Nigeria’s journey from independence through military rule to democratic governance, argued that the ballot remains meaningful only when citizens are equipped with truthful information.
“The ballot is the citizen’s voice. The media is the mirror by which that citizen sees the world clearly enough to know what to say with that voice. When the mirror is cracked, or worse, deliberately distorted, the citizen no longer votes from truth but from illusion,” he warned.
The royal father devoted significant attention to the conference’s sub-theme, “When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Disinformation Before, During and After Elections,” describing it as one of the most unsettling issues confronting journalism today.
According to him, advances in artificial intelligence have made it possible to manufacture convincing fake voices, videos and images capable of inflaming political tensions within seconds.
“A voice that sounds exactly like a governor can now say something that the governor never said. A video can show a candidate in a place he never was, timed precisely to inflame passions on the eve of an election,” he said.
He noted that Nigeria’s strong communal ties and trusted family and community information networks, once sources of resilience, have become fertile channels for the rapid spread of misinformation through platforms such as WhatsApp.
The monarch outlined three responsibilities for editors in confronting the new information landscape.
The first, he said, is placing verification above speed.
“In the old order, being first with the news was honour. In this new order, being first with a lie dressed as news is a betrayal of the public trust.”
Secondly, he urged journalists to deepen public literacy by mastering the tools used to create AI-generated disinformation and teaching citizens how to recognise fabricated content without descending into blanket distrust.
“A citizenry that believes everything is as dangerous as one that believes nothing,” he cautioned.
His third charge was courage, insisting that journalists must debunk falsehoods irrespective of whose political interests they serve.
“True journalistic integrity in this era will require you to correct falsehoods regardless of who benefits from them,” he said.
Achebe acknowledged the economic pressures, political intimidation and relentless pace of Nigeria’s media environment but expressed confidence that the profession possesses the capacity to meet the emerging challenge.
He recalled journalism’s historic role in exposing colonial injustice, advancing the struggle for independence and documenting Nigeria’s defining moments, urging editors to renew that legacy.
“Let Enugu be remembered as the place where Nigeria’s editors resolved to defend the ballot from the lie, and the citizen from deception dressed as fact,” he declared.
The monarch concluded by urging editors to remain steadfast even when politicians, institutions and electoral bodies fall short of public expectations.
“You must be the ultimate last man standing in the task of defending democracy,” he charged, before offering prayers for the safety, wellbeing and continued success of media practitioners across the country.