The Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition (NFC) has opened its situation rooms for the Osun State Governorship election, scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026.
Members and volunteers of the coalition will work from both Abuja and Lagos to monitor false and manipulated narratives that could incite violence, encourage voter apathy, and undermine public trust in the conduct of the election. NFC partner organisations, including Africa Check and Digital Africa Research Lab (DigiAfrica Lab), will also be on the ground in Osun State to monitor the election firsthand and provide on-the-spot assessments to the NFC Situation Rooms.
Formed in June 2022, the coalition comprises signatories of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), Africa Check, CableCheck (The Cable), FactCheckHub, and DUBAWA, who are all working alongside other partners, including the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR), the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), FactsMatterNG, Digital Africa Research and Safety Lab, Alkalanci, The Continental, Round Check, WikkiTimes, FactWatch, and others.
The NFC verified the accuracy of several harmful narratives during the Ekiti State governorship election, utilising an effective model of collaboration and teamwork. The Coalition intends to continue strongly in the Osun State election as Nigeria’s 2027 general election takes centre stage in a few months.
The NFC is also carrying out Media and Information Literacy (MIL) activities to help Nigerians better understand and navigate the information environment during the election. These efforts are designed to equip citizens with practical skills to identify misleading content and manipulated information, assess the credibility of information sources, and make more informed decisions about the information they consume and share, whether online or offline.
Security misinformation a concern ahead of election
Kemi Busari, Editor of DUBAWA Nigeria, said the security situation in Osun ahead of the election makes monitoring election-related misinformation particularly important.
“The security situation in Osun leading up to this election has been concerning. We expect a lot of security-related misinformation and disinformation.
“We are already seeing some of them; some are even old or unrelated claims.
“Our hope is that people vote freely and based on their choices. At NFC, we will be working towards availing them with accurate information to make that decision.
“We have a team of trained fact-checkers and editors monitoring the information space both online and offline, and we will be working with local partners to disseminate our reports.”
AI raises the stakes for election misinformation
David Ajikobi, Nigeria Editor at Africa Check and current National Coordinator of the Coalition, said advances in artificial intelligence have made it easier to produce convincing false or misleading election content at a scale and speed that presents a new challenge for fact-checkers and voters.
“AI has made it faster, cheaper, and easier to create convincing false or misleading election content, from synthetic images and cloned voices to AI-generated text that mimics official statements,” Ajikobi said.
“Social media can spread this content nationwide within minutes, often faster than it can be verified or corrected. Content that once required specialist skills can now be produced by almost anyone with a smartphone and access to AI tools.
“This means Nigerians are likely to encounter more sophisticated election misinformation, making early detection, rapid verification, and credible correction more important than ever. This is why coordinated efforts like the NFC Situation Room are important in identifying false narratives before they gain wider traction,” he added.
Building public confidence
The NFC also wants its work to go beyond verifying false or manipulated information and also help Nigerians to have greater confidence in the information they rely on during the election.
“We also want them to develop simple habits such as pausing before sharing unverified information, checking claims against credible sources, and recognising manipulated or AI-generated content. Ultimately, the goal is to help Nigerians navigate the information environment more confidently and make informed decisions based on verified information,” Ajikobi said.
The NFC encourages voters, journalists, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to verify election-related information before sharing it, particularly content designed to provoke fear, anger or confusion. It also encourages members of the public to share any unverified information with the NFC Situation Rooms via WhatsApp on these numbers: +2349030785265 AND +2349083777789, or by email at nigerianfactcheckerscoalition@gmail.com.
The Coalition’s verified reports and fact-checks will be disseminated through its member organisations and partners throughout the election period.
