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By Stella Odueme
The Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) has announced that its 2026 Annual Conference will focus on the growing influence of media, artificial intelligence, social media and other digital technologies on elections and democratic participation across Africa.
The conference, scheduled to hold at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja, comes as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 General Elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, the National President of ACSPN, Professor Rotimi Williams Olatunji, said the conference would provide a platform for scholars, media professionals, policymakers and other stakeholders to interrogate the changing dynamics of electoral communication in an increasingly digital environment.
The theme of the conference is: “Media, Technology and Elections in Africa: Navigating Digital Disruption and the New Dynamics of Electoral Communication.”
Olatunji said the theme was deliberately chosen in view of the rapid transformation of communication by technology, artificial intelligence, social media, digital platforms and data-driven political communication.
According to him, these developments are fundamentally changing how citizens receive information, engage political actors, form opinions and participate in democratic processes.
“As we approach the 2027 General Elections, Nigeria, and indeed the African continent, is confronted by a rapidly changing communication environment in which technology, artificial intelligence, social media, digital platforms and data-driven political communication are fundamentally transforming how citizens receive information, engage political actors, form opinions and participate in elections,” he said.
The ACSPN President said the Association would use the conference to generate evidence, interrogate emerging trends and contribute practical solutions to challenges facing democracy and electoral communication in Nigeria and Africa.
Olatunji explained that ACSPN, a non-profit organisation registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission since 2013, was established to promote excellence in communication scholarship, academic research and professional practice.
He said the Association recognises communication as a critical component of governance, development, social cohesion, democracy and national integration.
According to him, ACSPN seeks to bridge the gap between academic scholarship and professional practice while ensuring that knowledge generated through research contributes meaningfully to national development.
“ACSPN was established on the understanding that communication is not simply about transmitting information,” he said.
“Communication is central to governance, development, social cohesion, democracy, national integration and the construction of a just and prosperous society.”
The National President said the Association's leadership structure reflects the calibre of scholars and professionals committed to advancing communication studies and practice in Nigeria.
He listed Professor Idowu Sobowale as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Professor Nosa Owens-Ibie as Co-Chair.
Other members of the Board, he said, include Professor Umaru Alhaji Pate, Professor Charse Okigbo, Professor Stella Okunna, Dr Nkechi Ali-Balogun and Mr Lanre Idowu, among others.
A major highlight of the 2026 conference, Olatunji announced, will be the introduction of the ACSPN Fellowship and Special Awards.
He described the initiative as a major innovation under his leadership and an effort to recognise individuals who have made exceptional contributions to communication scholarship, professional practice and national development.
The first category, he said, is the Posthumous Fellowship Award, which will honour pioneering members and leaders who contributed significantly to the development of ACSPN and the communication discipline.
Among those to be honoured are the late Professor Lai Oso, Foundation President of ACSPN and former Dean of the School of Communication at Lagos State University, as well as the late Professor Dayo Alao, former Vice-Chancellor of Adeleke University and one of the pioneering members of the Association.
Olatunji said Professor Oso played a foundational role in establishing and developing ACSPN and provided leadership for approximately six years.
The second category of the awards will recognise living legends and pioneer members whose contributions have continued to shape the Association and communication scholarship in Nigeria.
Those listed for recognition include Professor Idowu Sobowale, Professor Nosa Owens-Ibie, Professor Umaru Alhaji Pate, Professor Stella Okunna, Mr Lanre Idowu, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, OON, and Professor Olatunji himself.
The ACSPN President said the awards were designed to promote institutional memory, continuity and intergenerational mentorship.
“These awards are more than honours. They are a statement about institutional memory,” he said.
“An organisation that does not honour its pioneers risks losing the history upon which its future is built.”
He added that the Fellowship Awards would help establish a stronger culture of appreciation and recognition within the Association.
Olatunji also called for stronger collaboration between communication scholars and media practitioners, describing scholarship and professional practice as “two wings of one bird.”
He said while communication scholars generate knowledge, conduct research and provide intellectual frameworks for understanding society, media professionals translate information into public knowledge, hold institutions accountable and amplify citizens' voices.
According to him, neither scholarship nor professional practice can effectively operate in isolation.
“ACSPN needs the media, and the media needs the intellectual resources of scholarship,” he said.
“One wing is scholarship. The other is professional practice. Neither wing can effectively fly alone.”
The ACSPN President said collaboration between scholars and journalists would become increasingly important ahead of the 2027 General Elections, particularly as artificial intelligence and digital technologies continue to reshape political communication.
He said Nigeria needs journalists capable of interrogating data, editors who understand artificial intelligence and digital manipulation, and media organisations with the capacity to identify misinformation and disinformation.
Olatunji also stressed the need for research findings to become more accessible to journalists, policymakers and citizens rather than remaining largely within academic journals.
The Association's President appealed directly to Nigerian media organisations to partner with ACSPN in taking discussions on technology, elections and democracy beyond the conference hall.
He urged journalists and media organisations to help interrogate the implications of artificial intelligence, algorithms, social media, data analytics and digital platforms for Nigeria's 2027 elections.
Olatunji said the media has a critical role to play in promoting fact-based public discourse, combating misinformation and disinformation and providing citizens with accurate information required to make informed democratic choices.
“We need communication professionals who can help society understand complex electoral technologies without sensationalism, And we need the media to continue to defend the public interest.”
He also urged the media to hold all stakeholders accountable, including ACSPN.
Olatunji said the 2026 ACSPN Annual Conference would serve as the Association's contribution to the national and continental conversation on the future of democracy in an increasingly digital society.
He said ACSPN would bring its intellectual resources, professional expertise and institutional capacity to efforts aimed at strengthening electoral integrity and democratic participation ahead of the 2027 polls.
“As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 elections, ACSPN is prepared to contribute its intellectual resources, professional expertise and institutional capacity to the task of building a more informed, inclusive, peaceful and credible democratic process,” he said.
He called for the conference to become more than an annual academic gathering.
“Let the 2026 ACSPN Conference become more than an annual academic gathering,” Olatunji said. “Let it become a national laboratory for democratic renewal.”
The ACSPN President, on behalf of the Association's Board of Trustees, National Executive Council and members, invited media practitioners, communication scholars, professionals and other stakeholders to participate actively in the conference.
He expressed optimism that the gathering would strengthen discussions around digital disruption and help chart a stronger future for electoral communication and democracy in Nigeria and across Africa.
The 2026 ACSPN Annual Conference will hold at the National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja.