A communication professor, a veteran journalist and a senior police legal officer will lead the panel discussion at the Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF) 2026 Annual Conference and 6th Lecture Series.

The three panellists named by the Forum are Professor Presly Ogheneruke Obukoadata, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Southern Delta University, Ozoro; journalist and media scholar Comrade Norbert Chiazor, PhD; and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Gladys Imegwu.

The conference is scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, 2026, starting at 11:00 a.m. at David’s Event Centre in the Government Reservation Area (GRA) of Asaba, Delta State. It will run under the theme “Democracy Under Pressure: Electoral Integrity, Security Challenges, and Media Accountability.”

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Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Oborevwori, is expected to attend as the Special Guest of Honour, a presence that underlines how closely the theme bears on democratic governance, electoral credibility, public security and media accountability.

The Delta State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will also be at the event and will give a brief talk on the theme, setting out the electoral umpire’s view of the challenges facing democratic processes and the need to shore up public confidence in elections.

Media practitioners, communication scholars, security professionals, public officials and other stakeholders are expected at the gathering, which will look at how credible elections, public safety, responsible journalism and democratic accountability relate to one another in Nigeria.

Obukoadata: academic and strategic communication expertise

Professor Obukoadata is a communication scholar, strategic communication expert and academic administrator. He is Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Brand, Strategic and Metacommunication at Southern Delta University, Ozoro, where he also serves as Dean of the Faculty of Communication Technology. He was the pioneer of the institution’s Faculty of Communication and Media Studies.

He earned his Mass Communication qualifications at Delta State University, Abraka, and the University of Uyo. His career has taken him through several higher institutions, among them the University of Calabar, the American University of Nigeria, Yola, Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, and the National Open University of Nigeria.

Strategic communication, brand management, crisis communication, media ecology, artificial intelligence, development communication and public relations are among his research interests. He has more than 50 publications in journals, books and book chapters, and his scholarship and professional engagements have made him a voice in discussions on media innovation, digital transformation and communication in governance.

On the panel, he is expected to offer an academic and strategic communication perspective on the media’s role in protecting electoral integrity, countering misinformation, promoting informed public discourse and holding institutions accountable in a democracy increasingly influenced by digital communication and emerging technologies.

Chiazor: journalism, newsroom leadership and media management

Comrade Norbert Chiazor, popularly known as the Wordsmith, comes to the discussion as a distinguished journalist, communication scholar, writer and media administrator with substantial professional experience.

A graduate of English and Literature from the University of Benin, he holds a Mass Communication degree from Delta State University, Abraka, and master’s and doctoral degrees in Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

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His broadcasting career took in service at the former Bendel Broadcasting Service, Benin City, and the Delta Broadcasting Service, Warri, where he rose to become Deputy General Manager and Head of News and Current Affairs. He has also worked as a freelance journalist for prominent local and international media organisations, including The Guardian, National Concord, South Africa’s Mail & Guardian, The Irish Times, The Sowetan and The International Herald Tribune.

Chiazor, who publishes The Nigerian Post, chaired the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council, from 2011 to 2017. Infrastructure development and professional capacity-building initiatives marked that tenure, among them advancement of the NUJ Press Centre project and the training of Delta journalists at the Reuters Journalism Institute in London.

He has served as Executive Assistant on Media to former Delta State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and currently holds the same position under Governor Oborevwori.

His experience in journalism, newsroom leadership, media management and government communication is expected to enrich discussions on media independence, professional ethics and fact-based reporting, as well as on the responsibility of journalists and online publishers to provide accurate information, scrutinise public institutions and resist the spread of misinformation during electoral periods.

The third panellist, CSP Gladys Imegwu, is the Officer in Charge of Legal Matters at the Delta State Police Command, a role that places her at the meeting point of law enforcement, criminal investigation, legal oversight and the administration of justice.

Imegwu has stressed the importance of professional investigative procedures, respect for due process and the protection of the rights of suspects. She has also advocated improved security manpower and operational capacity, while underscoring the need for cooperation among security agencies and justice sector institutions to enhance accountability and effective law enforcement.

Her participation is expected to bring a critical security and legal perspective to the theme, particularly on the responsibility of security agencies to protect lives and property, maintain peace, enforce the law impartially and safeguard citizens’ rights during elections.

Her experience will also be relevant to examining the relationship between the police and the media, including the need for responsible information sharing, accurate reporting of security incidents and mutual respect for professional responsibilities in the interest of public safety and democratic stability.

The backgrounds of the three panellists in academia, journalism and policing reflect the multidimensional approach required to address the pressures facing democratic governance. Their engagement, alongside the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner’s brief talk, is expected to provide participants with complementary perspectives on electoral administration, security preparedness, media responsibility and institutional accountability.

Debates over electoral credibility, public trust, security challenges and the influence of digital information continue across Nigeria, and the DOPF conference offers a platform for critical reflection on how the media, electoral authorities, security agencies and other democratic institutions can strengthen public confidence in the democratic process.

The theme further highlights the need to balance media freedom with professional accountability, to keep electoral information accurate and verifiable, and to encourage constructive engagement between journalists and public institutions without eroding the media’s watchdog responsibility.

The 2026 Annual Conference and 6th Lecture Series continue DOPF’s engagement with subjects at the heart of journalism, public communication, democracy and responsible media practice.

With Governor Oborevwori expected as Special Guest of Honour, and with the Delta State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner and the panel of experts taking part, the Forum is presenting the conference as an important platform for informed dialogue on the responsibilities of key institutions in protecting electoral integrity, addressing security challenges and strengthening democratic accountability.