INEC Chair charges Media on fake news ahead of elections
By Oghale Mafuru
As the 2023 general elections gather momentum, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has charged the media to compliment the efforts of the commission by maintaining objectivity and authenticity in political news reportage to guarantee peaceful and credible polls.
The INEC Chairman gave this charge during the 6th annual conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, GOCOP which was held recently in Lagos.
Speaking on the theme of the event “2023 Elections: Managing the process for Credible Outcome, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu who restated the commitment of INEC to conduct credible elections in the country implored the media to combat fake news and any kind of reportage that negates the principle of fairness and truth. According to him, information that will threaten the peace and security of the nation should be abhorred.
He said: “A lot of activities will take place in the media of which the new media is a critical player. We must continue to work together against the spread of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation that seek to create or exacerbate tension or de-legitimize processes and outcomes.
“GOCOP must lead a network or alliance of stakeholders to curb fake news engineered by unpatriotic individuals. Fake news is a threat to national security and all hands must be on deck to check it. Managing this process requires, in part, concerted efforts.”
The INEC umpire who disclosed that the commission has introduced many innovations driven by technology to ensure a transparent and highly secured voting process in the 2023 elections noted that election being a multi-stakeholder activity requires all hands to be on deck for a successful outcome.
“The deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) with its dual fingerprint and facial biometric accreditation process has ensured that only genuine voters are accredited to vote during the election. This has curtailed the incidence of multiple voting and other sharp practices associated with voter accreditation during elections. The BVAS has come to stay and will be the only means by which voters will be accredited in the 2023 General Election.
“The introduction of the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) Portal has made the result management procedure more transparent. Polling Unit results are now uploaded in real-time to the IReV portal for public view. This has enhanced the transparency, credibility and consequently public confidence in the outcome of elections” he added.
The 2023 General Election is billed to hold on Saturday 25th February 2023 for national elections which comprises the Presidential and National Assembly while the State elections which include Governorship and State Assembly will hold on the 11th March 2023. Meanwhile, campaigns in public by political parties officially commenced on Wednesday 28th September 2022.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Comment
No comments found.