The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), South-South Zone and Association of Niger Delta Online Publishers (ANDOP) are set to mount political debates for candidates contesting the 2027 elections across the region.
The commitment was extracted when the Board of Trustees of ANDOP paid a courtesy visit on the Vice President, South-South Zone of the NUJ, Opaka Dokubo, at his office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The visit was aimed at formally introducing the association to the NUJ zonal leadership and briefing Dokubo on the proposed collaboration between both organisations to mount debates for candidates of various political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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Dokubo, who welcomed the initiative, pledged the full collaboration of the NUJ to ensure its successful execution across the Niger Delta.
He commended the Board of Trustees and members of ANDOP for the professionalism they had brought to online journalism, describing the association as an important force in promoting credible information and countering the spread of fake news in the digital space.
The NUJ zonal vice president expressed happiness over the calibre of journalists driving online publishing in the Niger Delta, describing their emergence as a positive development for journalism and the region.
Dokubo urged ANDOP to find ways of grooming and mentoring young journalism graduates who will eventually take over from the present generation and ensure that quacks do not have a place in online journalism practice in the region.
He assured the delegation that the NUJ would work assiduously with ANDOP to ensure the success of the proposed debates across the region.
Earlier, the Founding President of ANDOP, Ofonime Umanah, who led the delegation, had said the association was established not only to present a correct perspective of issues affecting the Niger Delta through online platforms, but also to mentor younger journalists in the region.
Umanah said ANDOP was prepared to work with the NUJ to organise credible and issue-based debates involving governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives candidates.
He said the debates would provide citizens and voters with an opportunity to hear directly from candidates, assess their programmes and competence, and make informed choices at the polls.
According to him, the initiative is part of ANDOP’s broader commitment to strengthening journalism, democratic participation and responsible political communication in the Niger Delta.
Among members of the delegation were the Secretary of ANDOP, Celestine Ogolo, and the Treasurer, Sir Lawson Hayford.
