INEC Boss to Media: “Be A Bulwark Against Fake News, Misinformation, Misinformation”

INEC Boss to Media: “Be A Bulwark Against Fake News, Misinformation, Misinformation”

The National Chairman, of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Wednesday challenged media organisations to continue to be a bulwark against fake news, misinformation, and disinformation. He spoke at the third quarterly consultative meeting with the media preparatory to the Edo and Ondo state governorship elections. Prof. Yakubu reminded the media

The National Chairman, of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Wednesday challenged media organisations to continue to be a bulwark against fake news, misinformation, and disinformation. He spoke at the third quarterly consultative meeting with the media preparatory to the Edo and Ondo state governorship elections.

Prof. Yakubu reminded the media of their obligation to report factually and accurately about the election and electoral activities in compliance with the ethics of their noble profession. He also urged the media to expedite action by ensuring that all interested media organisations submitted their applications before the deadline of Thursday 5th September 2024.

He said by uploading details of media persons who would be on duty for the election coverage, the Commission would be able to produce and deliver the accreditation tags in good time for the election. “As of 8.02 am today, Wednesday 31st July 2024, 24 media organisations representing print, radio, television, and online have uploaded the details of 227 personnel for the election,” he said.

Prof Yakubu explained that the Commission was concerned about the safety of media personnel and equipment just as they are about the security of their officials, observers, service providers, and, above all, the voters. “We will also work with the security agencies to ensure that accredited journalists are granted unimpeded access to all voting and collation locations.

Speaking on the preparations for the Edo Governorship Election, Prof. Yakubu said: “I am glad to report that we have recovered from the torrential rainfall that resulted in the severe flooding of our State Headquarters in Benin City two months ago.

“The damage to the physical infrastructure as well as movable and immovable facilities are being fixed or replaced. We have delivered additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to Edo state for the training of election duty personnel as well as contingency for Election Day support”, he stressed.

National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Chris Isiguzo, described the Supreme Court judgment that granted autonomy to Local Government as a major stride towards strengthening Nigeria’s democracy at the grassroots level.

His words: “I would also like to take this opportunity to weigh in on a significant recent development – the Supreme Court judgment which granted full autonomy to local government administrations. This landmark ruling is a major stride towards strengthening our democracy at the grassroots level.

According to him, local governments are the closest tier of government to the people, and their autonomy is crucial for effective governance and major stride towards strengthening the nation’s democracy at the grassroots level stressing that their autonomy is crucial for effective governance and development.

“However, for this autonomy to be truly conclusive and impactful, there is a need for constitutional amendments by the National Assembly. Specifically, the relevant sections of the constitution should be amended to empower INEC to conduct elections for local governments across the country.

“Currently, INEC enjoys constitutional authority to conduct national and sub-national elections. Extending this authority to include the third tier of government will ensure uniformity, credibility, and efficiency in the electoral process.

“In light of this, the proposal to create an Independent Local Government Electoral Commission is, in my view, unnecessary. Establishing a separate body for local government elections could lead to redundancy, increased bureaucracy, and potential conflicts of interest”, he said adding that: “Instead, leveraging INEC’s established framework, experience, and resources would be a more efficient and effective approach to managing local government elections.”

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