Media bias and the 2027 game: Kaduna, PDP and the coalition
It is important to note three facts that the Nigerian media have overlooked: Kaduna will not become a one‑party state any time soon; the PDP is striving to mend its internal crisis; and the coalition talks are still underway with other opposition parties. The above facts come from three events that happened last week. It […]
It is important to note three facts that the Nigerian media have overlooked: Kaduna will not become a one‑party state any time soon; the PDP is striving to mend its internal crisis; and the coalition talks are still underway with other opposition parties.
The above facts come from three events that happened last week. It was improper to see a section of the Nigerian media take an indoctrinating position instead of informing the public and favouring the ruling party. If this continues, our media outlets will have to abandon their duty to become the mouthpiece for a single party.
The first instance was the media’s propagation of a statement by Governor Uba Sani, who stated that “Kaduna State will soon become a one-party state.” Yes, the media have a duty to inform the public, but their job is not to repeat what the ruling party says without fact-checking. Besides, propagating such a misleading report harms any democracy, even if it were true.
For the record, the three serving senators are from PDP and will not decamp to APC. Since the return of democracy, 2023 marked only the second time that all three senators emerged from one party. Some may recall how PDP lost in 2019 in the state to the point of having no councillor in Senatorial Zone 1, but ended up with such a dominating result in 2023 under the stewardship of Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who also serves on the PDP BoT.
Similarly, PDP has six out of the 16 Representatives, despite three others decamping to APC. Curiously, the media are not propagating the story of the APC lawmakers who are in discussion to decamp to PDP, among so many other disgruntled ruling party members. At the state level, PDP leads the minority, with nine members, in a multi-party Assembly.
So, seeing the media reporting delusion as a fact is misleading. Such reports give falsehood the same weight as truth. And that is dangerous for our democracy. The media should not merely quote him. They should investigate the claim, report the facts and call a lie a lie—even if it comes from the highest office.
Just like in Kaduna, sections of the media have chosen their villain at the national level. Again, in this black-and-white situation, vilifying the opposition automatically favours the ruling party.
Specifically, sections of the Nigerian press are reporting negatively on PDP without fact-checking. This indirectly gives the incumbent party undue advantage as the narrative for 2027 begins to take shape.
Evidence of the above assertion comes from the second media misrepresentation when the PDP Governors’ Forum released a communique stating that “the PDP will not join any coalition or merger. However, the PDP, as a major opposition party, welcomes any party, persons or groups that are willing to join it with a view to wresting power and enthroning good leadership in 2027.”
Let’s be clear: the above message is similar to what the SDP chairman said on Channels TV and BBC Hausa Service. It is also identical to the statement made by the Labour Party stakeholders and NNPP’s Kwankwaso. So, seeing the media pitching PDP against the other parties was frustrating. PDP’s message was clear, and talks are ongoing.
Clearly, it is wrong for the media to vilify PDP and others in a scripted, sensational headline. But seeing the ruling party provide the media with content was not a coincidence. One can deduce who they support and who is dictating the narrative for them.
This brings us to the third media event: the press conference with Wike. The invited media houses coined it a media parley, but it looked like a tactic to design a narrative hostile to any movement that challenges Tinubu and his party.
Two issues among Wike’s many misleading claims warrant debunking here, mainly because the journalists who attended his media discussion failed to do so, and their media houses failed to apply some investigative ethics to fact-check such misleading stories before releasing them for public manipulation.
One: Scripting a headline to report that “Atiku and other PDP stakeholders seeking a coalition are driven by selfish interests is misleading. Such a negative headline is a poor characterisation of well-meaning Nigerians coming together to seek good governance.
Two: The claim that the PDP is not ready for 2027 is not correct. Even if it were, reporting it gave a momentary advantage to the incumbent party. The ruling party will capitalise on this to cast doubt on any potential to challenge them.
In the same communique, PDP specified how it proposed to deal with its leadership crisis, including its response to the Supreme Court ruling. The forum recommends to the NEC that the Deputy National Secretary acts as National Secretary, pending the nomination and ratification of a substantive Secretary from the South-East Zone at its next meeting on 27 May. The communique also proposed that the party constitutes a zoning committee to address all issues and hold an early convention in Kano from the 28th to the 30th of August.
With a heavy heart, I must say the Nigerian media’s moral standard is regressing. This was not how the media behaved in the build-up to the 2015 election. Nigerian media was balanced to a degree, but not anymore. They reported the 2015 APC merger talks without presenting them as doomed. In short, the media made the contest a level playing field for both parties, unlike in the present day, where they are reluctant to sensationalise headlines against APC like they do for the opposition.
So, whether it is out of bias, a hunger for viewership, or utter naivety, the media’s distortion is short-sighted. In the end, no sector or individual will be spared if democracy in Nigeria fails. The consequences will reach even those who now choose to look the other way.