By Tunde Opalana
Media practitioners, particularly those accredited to cover governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States have been charged to uphold the ethics of the profession by reporting election process accurately .
They were also advised to avoid fake and unverified news especially on the social media.
The advise is coming two weeks ahead of off-cycle governorship elections in Edo slated for Saturday 21st September 2024 and Ondo slated for 16th November 2024.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gave the charge in Abuja on Friday during a media briefing for members of the INEC Press Corps in preparation for the polls.
READ ALSO: Egbin PowerUp initiative drives tech innovation in..
The National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun gave the advise while delivering his opening address at the event. He was represented by Director Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), Mrs Mary Nkem.
He noted the importance of the briefing knowing the crucial role, media play in shaping the democracy.
Olumekun said “as the fourth estate of the realm, the media is not just a conveyor of information but also a vital player in the democratic process, particularly during elections.
“Your work influences public perception, informs voter decisions, and upholds the integrity of the electoral process. This engagement is no doubt timely as preparations for the conduct of the off-cycle Governorship election in Edo state, is only 15 days away.” he said
Olumekun stated that due to the importance placed on the role of the media in elections, INEC have held similar engagements with media executives and journalists based in Edo State, which necessitated the Commission to keep members of the INEC Press Corps abreast of the knowledge and understanding of what is expected of them.
This, he said, is necessary for an informed and balanced coverage of the Commission’s activities and the dissemination of information to the general public.
He reiterated that ahead of the Edo election, the Commission will on Tuesday 10th September 2024, monitor the mock accreditation of voters in selected polling units in Edo State to test-run the deployment of BVAS for the election as well as the upload of scanned polling units results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
“The next day, on Wednesday 11th September 2024 in Benin City, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu will chair the INEC Stakeholders meeting involving the Police I.G and all relevant stakeholders in Edo state, and on Thursday 12th September 2024, the signing of the Peace Accord by candidates will take place under the supervision of the National Peace Committee chaired by General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retired), so it’s a very busy period for the Commission.
“The Training of Security Personnel has been concluded, while the Training of Ad-hoc staff, i.e. Supervisory Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers, and Assistant Presiding Officers starts today 6th to the 15th of this month in Edo state.
“The Commission is concluding arrangements with the land and maritime transport unions for logistics. The printing of triplicate copies of voters’ register for each of the 4,519 Polling Units in Edo State is virtually completed.
“The installation and configuration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to be deployed on Election Day is completed. Observer and accreditation tags are being produced as well, ” he disclosed
He said the INEC accredited a total of 892 personnel were approved after careful review from 122 organisations who applied and printing of the tags has commenced and would conclude the process on Monday 9th September 2024.
He noted that a final report on the accreditation and detailed breakdown will be made public soon, as we had earlier promised to publish the list of organisations and personnel accredited for the election, while same will be shared with security agencies in Edo state.
As part of efforts put in place to minimize circulation of false information, he noted the collaboration of members of the INEC Press Corps.
He said “however, we cannot do this alone. We believe that you will remain a bulwark against fake and misleading information about the Commission and the electoral process.
” We urge the public and the media to play their part by verifying any information related to the election directly with the Commission before sharing. Our doors are open for any inquiries, and we have established multiple channels through which the public can reach us for accurate information. Let us all work together to ensure that only the truth prevails during this election period”, he appealed
“As we approach this important election, remember that democracy thrives when the electorate are well-informed, the truth is upheld, and all stakeholders—from the voters to the media—act with integrity and responsibility.” he stressed
Also the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi presentation a paper on the roles of the media in democratic elections/INEC Social Media Platforms and INEC News.
He emphasized INEC’s dedication to ensuring clear, transparent, and timely communication with the public, the media’s essential role in supporting democratic elections through transparency & information dissemination, and highlighted the essential strategies and examples of effective media engagement.
Oyekanmi who said the role of the media in democratic election cannot be iver- emphasized highlighted some key roles which includes; voter education, provision of platform for political parties and candidates as well as election day monitoring and reporting.
Other key roles, he said are; facilitating public debate and participation, forgetting peace and stability, promoting accountability and transparency and holding elected leaders accountable.
To further enrich media practitioners knowledge of electoral reportage, Oyekanmi recommended that journal STS should be conversant with the extant laws such as the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, INEC Regulations and Guidelines , INEC Election Results Management Process and Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.