Anosike: Government and Media Must Work Together for Credible 2027 Elections

Kelechi Anosike wants Nigeria’s 2027 election campaign to test ideas rather than personalities. The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Abia State told journalists that government and the media should work as partners, not adversaries, to protect democracy and public welfare.

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The media is not a campaign instrument for politicians. I see you more as critical stakeholders and partners in democratic accountability and the welfare of the people.

Speaking at the monthly congress of the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ Abia State Council in Umuahia, Anosike said he was addressing the relationship among government, the media and the people “more as a statesman.” He described himself as the PDP’s “welfarist governorship candidate” and said the press should hold politicians accountable, not serve as their public-relations arm.

“The media is not a campaign instrument for politicians. I see you more as critical stakeholders and partners in democratic accountability and the welfare of the people,” he said. Because government exists for the people, he added, journalists have a responsibility to tell officials where citizens are suffering.

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2027 must be a referendum of ideas, not personalities, not social media hype. It’s about ideas.

Anosike urged journalists to challenge every candidate on the details of their plans. “2027 must be a referendum of ideas, not personalities, not social media hype. It’s about ideas,” he said. He said reporters should ask what candidates would do, how much their plans would cost, where the money would come from, who would implement them, what the timeline would be and how citizens would measure success.

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Your microphone should be more of a microscope, explaining government policies and how they affect the people, and not a megaphone for politicians.

He also called on the media to focus on outcomes rather than official ceremonies. “Your microphone should be more of a microscope, explaining government policies and how they affect the people, and not a megaphone for politicians,” he said. Anosike proposed regular contact between officials and journalists, including monthly media chats and access to critical information from ministries and agencies. He said a government that blocks such access is not responsible, and argued that journalists’ own welfare should not be overlooked by a government committed to public welfare.

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A government that blocks access to information is not a responsible government.