Ahead of the November 11 off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned political parties to adhere to constitutional provisions, Electoral Act, Police Act, and the Public Order Act for proper and peaceful conduct of their political activities.
INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who issued the warning on Monday, said no political campaign or slogan shall be tainted with language likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal, or sectional feelings.
Yakubu spoke in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, at a two-day capacity building workshop organised by INEC in partnership with INEC Press Corps and funded by Development Alternatives Incorporated, DAI.
“Abusive, intemperate, slanderous, or base language or innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reactions or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns,” he said
Represented by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, the INEC chairman also reminded the media to uphold their constitutional obligations.
He warned that state apparatus, including the media shall not be employed to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate at any election.
Yakubu called for equal coverage and visibility to be allotted to all political parties by all public print and electronic media organisations as well as privately owned media organizations, subject to payment of appropriate fees.
“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 said.
He also announced that the commission has handed soft copies of registered voters to chairmen of political parties in the states, totaling 5,409,438 voters in all.
While giving a breakdown of voters in each state, he said Bayelsa has 1,056,862 registered voters, Imo has a total of 2,419,922 and Kogi has a total of 1,932654 registered voters.
The INEC chairman reiterated that for the three governorship elections, 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 Registration Area Center (RAC) and Collation Center assessment is completed. The engagement with RAC officials on Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for RAC management in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States has been completed,” he said.
On preparations for deployment of ad-hoc staff for the election, he said “the summary of successful applicants shows that Bayelsa and Kogi have full complement of their requirement for all categories of Ad-hoc staff, while Imo has a shortfall of 6,154. The shortfall will be sourced from the neighbouring state.”
Also speaking, the National Commissioner and Member, Information and Voter Education Committee, IVEC, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, raised alarm over the growing threat of fake news
Ajayi said “the commission’s distasteful experience with fake news in the 2023 General elections has shown that, if not nipped in the bud, fake news can become the bane of election management in Nigeria.
“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.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the INEC Press Corps, Mr Segun Ojumu, said the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa scheduled for November 11th hold significant importance for INEC and the nation as a whole.
Ojumu therefore noted that “accurate and unbiased reporting is vital to ensure transparency, public trust, and the credibility of the electoral process.
“Therefore, it is essential that members of the INEC Press Corps are adequately equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles effectively.
He thanked the INEC Chairman, the entire INEC management team and DAI for their support for this workshop.
On his part, the Team Leader of DAI, Mr Rudolf Elbling, stressed the important role played by journalists in democratic elections, stating that media acts as a crucial watchdog to democratic elections, safeguarding the transparency of the process.
Elbling urged journalists to be security conscious in election coverage, and maintain a high level of professionalism, accuracy, and impartiality in their coverage to fulfill their roles.
“In today’s politics and society at large, media is essential to the safeguarding transparency of democratic processes. This is often called its ‘watchdog’ role.
“Transparency is required on many levels including for access to information; accountability and legitimacy of individuals, institutions and processes themselves; and for rightful participation and public debate,” he said.
