By Seyi Odewale
A media scholar and public relations consultant, Victor Ikem, has warned that growing political sensationalism in the Nigerian media could undermine democratic stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ikem, the Managing Director of Conversation Media Limited, accused sections of the media of prioritising political drama, controversies, and party conflicts over governance and developmental issues affecting Nigerians.
Speaking on the role of the media in shaping political discourse ahead of the 2027 polls, he said many media organisations have increasingly focused on political disputes, defections and internal party crises at the expense of critical national conversations on the economy, healthcare, education, infrastructure and security.
According to him, most political actors are hardly subjected to serious scrutiny on governance strategy, economic reforms and policy direction during interviews and political engagements.
“Most political conversations dominating the media space today revolve around conflicts and sensational debates instead of policies that can improve the lives of Nigerians,” he said.
Ikem further alleged that some television interview hosts deliberately frame questions and discussions to provoke controversy and inflame political tensions rather than encourage constructive dialogue and solution-oriented engagement.
“The media’s agenda-setting role becomes counterproductive when it is used mainly to amplify conflicts and political drama instead of promoting development-focused national conversations,” he stated.
He also blamed commercial interests for the growing trend, arguing that some media platforms deliberately magnify relatively minor political disagreements to attract public attention, increase audience engagement and boost advertising revenue.
The media scholar urged journalists and media organisations to embrace a more reconciliatory, nation-building role by promoting national unity, dialogue, and issue-based political engagement.
Speaking further on the 2027 elections, Ikem called on the media to focus more on policy-driven reporting by asking political aspirants substantive questions on governance, economic growth, youth empowerment, healthcare delivery, security and educational reforms.
He maintained that Nigeria’s political discourse would improve significantly if the media shifted attention away from excessive sensationalism and toward developmental issues that could strengthen democratic accountability and national progress.
