The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has demanded an apology from the Editorial Board of The Nation newspaper over an editorial accusing journalists of “failing journalism” in connection with the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) held in Enugu.
The Guild, in a statement signed by its President, Eze Anaba, and General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, on Thursday, said the editorial itself fell short of professional standards by reaching a conclusion without establishing the full facts surrounding the conference.
The Nation editorial, published on Thursday under the headline, “Journalists Failed Journalism,” had questioned the decision of the NGE to allow Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Professor Pat Utomi, a chieftain of the party, to address editors at the conference.
The newspaper reportedly interpreted their appearance as evidence of partisanship by the Guild.
But the NGE rejected the allegation, saying Obi and Utomi’s participation was part of a broader programme designed to expose editors to different political and public-sector perspectives ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the Guild, ANEC 2026 was conceived as a professional forum for editors and other stakeholders to discuss democracy, elections, journalism, artificial intelligence, disinformation and the future of Nigeria.
It said the conference programme specifically provided for an Executive Session involving governors, political party chairmen, heads of government agencies and other key actors in the political and public space.
The Guild therefore described as misleading any attempt to isolate Obi’s appearance from the broader programme and portray it as evidence of support for the NDC or any presidential candidate.
The NGE said it had formally invited the chairmen of major political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yelwatda; African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairman, Senator David Mark; and NDC Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, to participate in the relevant engagement.
It added that the invitations were followed up with reminders and personal efforts by the Guild’s leadership to secure wider participation.
The Guild said Anaba personally spoke with Yelwatda and ADC Vice-Presidential candidate, Chibuike Amaechi, regarding their participation, while Ukeh followed up with Paul Ibe, media aide to ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to encourage the participation of the party and its leaders.
“These are verifiable facts,” the Guild said, arguing that they undermined the central premise of The Nation’s editorial.
It questioned why the Guild should be blamed when invited political parties and their representatives ultimately failed to attend.
“Should it prevent a candidate who was available and willing to attend from participating simply because other invited candidates or parties chose not to attend?” the Guild asked.
The NGE also pointed to the participation of government representatives and officials at the conference as evidence that the event was not designed to favour any political party.
It noted that Tunde Rahman, media adviser to President Bola Tinubu, addressed the conference on the administration, while the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, was represented by the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Alhaji Ali M. Ali.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima also addressed the editors virtually from the United States.
The Guild consequently rejected The Nation’s description of Obi’s appearance as an “ambush”, insisting that he attended an open professional gathering involving hundreds of editors, journalists and other stakeholders.
It stressed that providing a platform for political engagement was not the same as endorsing a political party or candidate.
“There is a fundamental distinction between providing a platform for engagement and supporting a political position,” the Guild said.
The NGE also took exception to the editorial’s reference to an “impunity of silence”, describing the characterization as unfortunate.
It argued that the conference was a public professional gathering and that the failure of a particular newspaper to report an event did not make the event secret or establish professional misconduct.
The Guild said it was particularly ironic that it had been accused of “failing journalism” by an editorial which, in its view, had failed to take account of material facts concerning the conference.
“It is The Nation Newspaper’s Editorial Board that failed journalism,” the NGE declared.
It maintained that The Nation’s editorial “fell short of journalism standard because it reached a sweeping conclusion without establishing the full facts” concerning the invitations extended to political parties and the efforts made to secure their participation.
The Guild reaffirmed its commitment to accuracy, fairness, balance, objectivity, independence and accountability, saying it would continue to provide platforms for engagement among political actors, public officials, civil society organisations, electoral institutions and other stakeholders.
“Without fear or favour. That is not partisanship. That is journalism,” the Guild stated.
Having placed its account of the events on record, the NGE called on The Nation Editorial Board to acknowledge what it described as omissions in the editorial and tender an apology to the Guild and its leadership.
“Now that the facts have been placed on record, the NGE expects The Nation newspaper’s Editorial Board, made up of responsible members of Nigeria’s media community, to acknowledge the omissions in its editorial and offer an apology to the Guild and its leadership,” it said.
