The Independent National Electoral Commission has appealed to the media for fair and factual reporting on the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.
The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja during INEC’s quarterly consultative meeting with media executives.
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He noted that the September 21 date for the Edo election and the November 16 date for the Ondo election were fast approaching, saying that INEC’s preparations were in top gear.
“I wish to remind you of your obligation as journalists to report factually and accurately about the election and electoral activities, in compliance with the ethics of your noble profession.
“You should continue to be a bulwark against fake news, misinformation and disinformation. I urge you to fully comply with the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage. Similarly, you are required to comply with the INEC guidelines for media accreditation available on our website,” Yakubu said.
He expressed concern about the security situation in Edo and Ondo states, saying INEC would soon meet security agencies to fashion out security modalities.
He said,“We are as concerned about the safety of your personnel and equipment just as we are about the security of our 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.
“The commission will meet with the security agencies as early as Friday this week under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security. I want to assure you that security in Edo and Ondo will be a major issue for discussion at the meeting.”
On INEC’s preparedness, he said, “It is now 51 days to the Edo State governorship election, coming up on Saturday 21st September 2024. Our preparations are going on in earnest.
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 machines to Edo State for the training of election duty personnel as well as contingency for election day support. We have once again published the final list of candidates in compliance with the recent court order mandating the commission to replace the running mate with the candidate of the Labour Party. The amended list is already published on our website,” he said.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
