The spread of disinformation poses a threat to national development, public trust and social stability, the Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN) has warned, urging civil society organisations (CSOs) to verify information before sharing it, particularly as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections.
The organisation cautioned that false information could mislead citizens, undermine public confidence and fuel social unrest, stressing that civil society groups must protect their credibility by refusing to become channels for politically motivated falsehoods.
“If in doubt, don’t send it out,” Otuekong Franklyn Isong, Director of CHRAN and South-South Coordinator of the 2026 National Civil Society Organisation Summit, said while speaking at a technical session on Information Integrity, Strategic Communication and Digital Governance in Abuja.
Isong, who represented CHRAN at the summit on October 2, said information was a powerful tool that could either advance society or undermine its progress, depending on how it was gathered, verified and disseminated.
He warned that deliberate disinformation could create confusion, provoke hostility and promote anarchy, urging CSOs to exercise caution when communicating with the public, especially on politically sensitive issues.
According to him, civil society organisations occupy a position of public trust and must not allow political interests to compromise their responsibility to provide citizens with credible information.
His warning comes as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 elections, when the circulation of unverified claims and misleading content could affect voter understanding, public debate and confidence in the electoral process.
At the summit, President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, announced plans to establish a Quarterly Government-Civil Society Policy Dialogue Forum to strengthen citizens’ participation in policy formulation and implementation.
Tinubu also pledged greater collaboration with accredited CSOs on public finance transparency and budget tracking, while urging them to support voter education and election monitoring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The President further called on civil society groups to help stabilise the country by countering misinformation, a position that aligned with Isong’s appeal for responsible information management and public communication.
The proposed dialogue forum is intended to provide a structured channel for engagement between government and civil society, particularly on policies that affect citizens, public accountability and the implementation of government programmes.
National Convener of the summit and Director-General of the Civil Society Organisations on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative, Ambassador Kunle Yusuff, disclosed that the network works with about 3,700 accredited CSOs across 485 areas nationwide.
Yusuff also proposed a sustainable partnership compact involving government, civil society and the private sector to strengthen collaboration on national development.
In a statement dated October 10 and signed by its Secretary for Research and Documentation, Comrade Etimbuk Ekpenyong, CHRAN endorsed the proposed government-CSO dialogue forum, describing sustained engagement as important to accountability and citizens’ participation in governance.
The organisation, however, maintained that civil society’s credibility must not be sacrificed for political convenience, particularly during the electioneering period.
CHRAN also commended Yusuff and other members of the summit’s planning committee for convening the national conversation, reaffirming its commitment to information integrity, accountability and credible elections.
