NGE Rejects The Nation’s Partisanship Allegation Over Obi’s ANEC Appearance

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has rejected allegations of partisanship levelled against it by The Nation newspaper over the appearance of Peter Obi and Prof. Pat Utomi at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) in Enugu.

The Guild, in a statement signed by its President, Eze Anaba, and General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, on Thursday, described The Nation’s October 8 editorial, titled “Journalists Failed Journalism”, as misleading, arguing that its conclusions were not supported by the facts surrounding the conference.

The NGE said the editorial wrongly portrayed the appearance of Obi and Utomi as evidence that the Guild had acted in a partisan manner.

According to the Guild, ANEC 2026 was a professional gathering of editors and stakeholders focused on critical issues including democracy, elections, the media, artificial intelligence, disinformation and Nigeria’s future.

It explained that the conference programme provided for an “Executive Session” on its second day, featuring governors, political party chairmen, heads of government agencies and parastatals, as well as other key stakeholders.

“The purpose was to provide a platform for engagement between the media and key actors in Nigeria’s political and public space,” the Guild said.

It therefore argued that isolating Obi’s appearance from the broader conference programme and using it as evidence of partisanship was misleading.

The Guild further disclosed that it had formally invited major political parties to participate in the engagement.

It said invitations were extended to the chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda; African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark; and NDC, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe.

The NGE said reminders were also sent to the parties after the initial invitations.

According to the Guild, Anaba personally contacted Yilwatda, as well as ADC Vice-Presidential candidate Chibuike Amaechi, in an effort to secure broader political participation at the conference.

Similarly, the General Secretary said he personally 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. They fundamentally undermine the central premise of The Nation’s editorial,” the Guild said.

It questioned whether the absence of some invited political actors should have prevented a willing participant from attending the conference.

“If the Guild duly invited the political parties, sent reminders and personally followed up with their leaders and representatives, and some of those invited chose not to attend, should it prevent a candidate who was available and willing to attend from participating?” the NGE asked.

The Guild also rejected the suggestion that the conference provided a platform exclusively to opposition politicians, pointing to the participation of representatives of the Federal Government.

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).

The NGE also said Vice-President Kashim Shettima addressed editors virtually from the United States.

“These engagements demonstrate the very opposite of the partisan picture painted by the editorial,” the Guild said.

The Guild further disputed The Nation’s description of Obi’s appearance as an “ambush”, saying he attended an open professional gathering involving hundreds of editors, journalists and other stakeholders.

“There is a fundamental distinction between providing a platform for engagement and supporting a political position,” it said.

The NGE also described as “particularly unfortunate” the editorial’s reference to its conduct as an “impunity of silence”.

According to the Guild, ANEC was a public professional gathering and could not reasonably be characterised as a secretive engagement.

“The fact that The Nation or another newspaper chose not to report an occurrence does not make that occurrence secret, nor does it establish professional misconduct,” the statement said.

The Guild reaffirmed its commitment to professional journalism, saying it would continue to provide platforms for engagement with political actors, public officials, civil society organisations, electoral bodies and other stakeholders.

“The NGE remains committed to its professional responsibilities and to the principles of journalism that have guided it throughout its history,” it said.

“It will continue to provide platforms for robust and independent engagement with 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 said it expected The Nation’s Editorial Board to acknowledge what it described as omissions in the editorial, correct what it called misleading impressions and apologise to the Guild and its leadership.