INEC Chairman Tasks Nigerian Media On Accurate Information Dissemination

Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is challenging the media as a repository of knowledge to take seriously their critical position in enhancing the growth of the country’s electoral process and democracy by accurate information dissemination and countering fake news.

INEC National Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu stated this while declaring open a two-day workshop for members of the INEC Press Corps on “Ethical Safety Practices and Critical Issues Relating to the Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa states Governorship Elections” in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa state.

Professor Mahmoud said the workshop was aimed at enhancing the professional development of media practitioners and to equip them with requisite knowledge to report electoral activities accurately.

He said, “The Commission is conscious of the critical role of the media in our political and electoral process and believes that democracy will only grow and flourish through a free and vibrant media. However, a free and vibrant press is also obliged to adhere to professional and ethical standards. Indeed, true democracy cannot exist without effective information flow”.

He noted that as first-hand witnesses to the Commission’s activities, the INEC Press Corps members also become the repository of electoral information in Nigeria.

According to him, this places the Press members at an advantageous position to play important roles in shaping the opinions and editorial policies of their media organisations on issues relating to the programmes and policies of the Commission.

“The implication is that Press Corps members must be familiar with the Constitutional mandate of the Commission and the roles and powers ascribed to it. They must therefore strive to understand the intendment and nuances of the powers granted to the Commission by the Constitution and the Electoral Act that are expressed in subsidiary legislations including the Commission’s Regulations, Guidelines, and Manuals”.

The INEC Chairman said the INEC Press Corps plays a pivotal role in Nigeria’s electoral process as they avail the stakeholders with timely and relevant information pertaining to the electoral process.

Voter Education

He said they also carry out voter education and public enlightenment; Mobilize the electorate to participate in the electoral process through awakening in them, the consciousness of taking ownership of the political process; Give visibility and life to the programmes and activities of the Election Management Body with a view to updating stakeholders on the developments in the electoral process.

As regards the upcoming 11 November 2023, off-cycle elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa states, Mahmood Yakubu said the commission has presented the soft copies of a combined total of 5,409,438 registered voters to Chairmen of political parties in the states.

Mock Accreditation

Hhle said they have successfully carried out the Mock Accreditation of Voters in selected Polling Units across Senatorial zones in the three states on Saturday, 14th October 2023.

He was emphatic that “For the three governorship elections scheduled for 11th November, the Commission will deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to authenticate the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) and upload polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) seamlessly on election day”.

The INEC Chairman called on political parties participating in the off-cycle governorship elections and journalists to critically study and pay attention to the provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act, the Police Act, and the Public Order Act for the proper and peaceful conduct of political campaigns, rallies, and processions.

National Commissioner and Member IVEC, Professor Kunle Ajayi described elections in Nigeria as periods consistent with of heightened media coverage and reporting, with each political party striving to win the election so as to govern the country.

“Election periods are therefore often charged with “war” of words, political, religious, tribal, and ethnic sentimental divides, which sometimes result in heating up the polity. The media space is one of the primary mechanisms for such electioneering dynamics. The role of journalists is therefore particularly critical during election processes,” he said.

Professor Ajayi said the Commission has a long-standing partnership with the media,  which is being consolidated with an engagement such as the workshop to build and enhance participant capacity to carry out their responsibilities.

“The Media sector of the polity remains one of our critical stakeholders, such that we have over 100 members of INEC Press Corps from various media organizations in the country who cover the activities of the Commission regularly. Beyond voter and civic education, the Commission frequently consults the media ahead of the formulation of policies and during the implementation of activities to keep you abreast of the happenings in the electoral system as well as in the Commission,” he said.

He charged media practitioners to raise and counter the alarming trend of fake news and misinformation.

“The alarming prevalence of misinformation, ‘fake news’, hate speech, and the weaponization of disinformation has become very worrisome to the Commission. Disinformation is used to provoke religious, political, and tribal sentiments in an already polarized society such as ours, especially, during election season, which is often the leading cause of electoral violence and uprisings’.

Ajayi stated that election-related disinformation has become a major strategy used by nefarious individuals and groups in the political space to manipulate the public to their advantage, regardless of the consequential effect such propaganda may have on the peace and stability of the electoral process and the country at large.

“Consequently, to create an environment of peace where the electorate feels safe and free to come out to exercise their franchise on election day, we, therefore, appeal to the media in general to be objective and unbiased in their reporting and avoid fake news and inflammatory and sensational news.

“The Press must commit to delivering thorough, verified, and unbiased information, pulled from credible sources to the public. At the same time, they must refrain from reporting information that encourages divisions or antagonistic discussions, which are likely to incite violence or endanger social life,” he explained.

Chairman of the PDP Press Corps, Segun Ojumu said the workshop was planned to further highlight the important of accurate reporting as a vital and essential responsibility of the Press Corps and that it would improve members’ skills in ethical reporting, integrity in all aspects of the electoral process.

Topics being discussed at the 2 day media workshop include The role of BVAS, and IREV for the Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa Elections, Imperatives of Adequate Training for Poll Officers and Significance of EU-SDGN 1 and 2 TO Nigeria’s Democratic Journey

 

 

Confidence Okwuchi