As Nigeria’s political temperature begins to rise ahead of the 2027 general elections, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, will deliver the keynote address at the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) in Lagos.
Chairman of the 2026 Conference Planning Committee and Deputy President of GOCOP, Mr Olumide Iyanda, announced the development in a statement issued on Monday by the Guild’s Publicity Secretary, Ms Kemi Yesufu.
The conference, themed “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities,” will hold on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at Radisson Blu Hotel, 38–40 Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
With preparations for the next general elections gradually moving to the centre of national discourse, the conference is expected to provide a timely platform for examining the strength of Nigeria’s electoral institutions, the credibility of the process and the obligations of all stakeholders.
Iyanda said Amupitan’s selection as keynote speaker was significant because he leads the institution that will conduct the 2027 general elections. His address is expected to offer insight into INEC’s preparations, the institutional challenges ahead and the measures required to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
A Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Amupitan brings to the assignment a background spanning teaching, research, legal scholarship and university administration. His academic interests include the law of evidence, corporate governance, company law, privatisation law and electoral jurisprudence.
Before his appointment as INEC Chairman in October 2025, he held several academic and administrative positions at the University of Jos, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, and Dean of the Faculty of Law.
Iyanda said this combination of legal expertise, institutional management and responsibility for the conduct of the forthcoming elections places Amupitan at the heart of Nigeria’s emerging conversation about electoral trust.
“The 2027 elections will be about more than what INEC does on election day. The credibility of the process will depend on the conduct of institutions, political parties and candidates, the media, civil society and the electorate. That is why we deliberately chose a theme that speaks to trust, transparency and shared responsibilities,” he said.
“The INEC Chairman occupies a unique position in that conversation. Professor Amupitan has the responsibility of leading the institution that will manage the elections, but he also comes to that responsibility with a strong background in law, governance and institutional administration.
“We expect his keynote address to provide important insights into preparations for 2027, the challenges ahead and what other stakeholders must do to support a credible process.”
Beyond INEC: A Shared Democratic Responsibility
The conference theme underscores a crucial reality: credible elections cannot be delivered by INEC alone. Political parties must conduct themselves responsibly, candidates must respect electoral rules, security agencies must remain professional, and civil society organisations must sustain effective scrutiny.
Voters also have a responsibility to participate peacefully and reject inducement, intimidation and misinformation. The media, particularly digital publishers, will play an increasingly consequential role in determining whether citizens receive credible information or become vulnerable to propaganda, manipulated content and election-related disinformation.
Against this background, the GOCOP conference will examine the responsibilities of electoral institutions, political parties, candidates, the media, civil society and voters as the country prepares for another decisive electoral cycle.
Discussions will focus on public confidence in the electoral process, access to reliable information, institutional transparency and the conduct of organisations and individuals whose actions could strengthen—or undermine—the integrity of the elections.
GOCOP held a similar engagement with INEC ahead of the previous general elections. In 2022, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, then Chairman of the Commission, delivered the keynote address titled “2023 Elections: Managing the Process for Credible Outcome.”
That precedent gives the 2026 conference added relevance: it provides INEC with an early opportunity to explain its direction before campaigns reach full intensity, while enabling publishers and other stakeholders to interrogate the conditions required for credible elections.
Agbakoba to Chair Landmark Conference
The conference will be chaired by prominent lawyer, human-rights advocate and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN.
Agbakoba has contributed to Nigeria’s democracy and governance debates for several decades, particularly in the areas of constitutional reform, electoral reform, human rights, public policy and the rule of law.
Iyanda said Agbakoba’s experience and longstanding engagement with democratic institutions make him well suited to chair a conference centred on public trust, institutional accountability and shared responsibility.
The gathering also marks the 10th edition of the GOCOP Annual Conference—a milestone for an organisation operating at the intersection of journalism, digital entrepreneurship and democratic accountability.
BRANDECONOMY reports that GOCOP is a business membership organisation comprising 127 leading online publications in Nigeria. Its members are media entrepreneurs who own and operate digital publishing platforms across the country.
The Guild promotes professional and ethical online publishing, protects the collective interests of its members and supports the credibility and commercial sustainability of digital journalism.
As more Nigerians turn to online platforms for news and election information, the influence—and responsibility—of digital publishers continues to expand. The approaching 2027 elections will test the media’s ability to report accurately, scrutinise political claims, resist manipulation and maintain public trust in an increasingly polarised information environment.
Iyanda said the conference would provide online publishers with an important opportunity to examine their responsibility to offer accurate, fair and credible information as political activities intensify.
Beyond commemorating GOCOP’s first decade, therefore, the conference promises to be an early agenda-setting intervention in Nigeria’s journey towards 2027—one that places trust, transparency and collective responsibility at the centre of the national conversation.
