Ekiti Guber : INEC Deepens Collaboration With Media To Counter Misinformation

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has warned the media against the spread of fake news, misinformation and premature declaration of election results ahead of the Ekiti State Governorship Election scheduled for Saturday, 20th of next month .

According to the Commission, inaccurate reporting, manipulated videos, misleading headlines, and unverified polling unit figures would pose a serious threats to the peaceful conduct of elections.

The INEC Electoral Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Muhammed Haruna stated this in Ado Ekiti at a Stakeholders Forum for media executives, producers, reporters and on-air personalities ahead of the governorship election.

Represented by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ekiti State, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, Haruna said the media remained a critical partner in protecting the integrity of the electoral process.

He called on the media executives to establish and activate fact-checking protocols to verify information from INEC before broadcasting or publishing,”.

He cautioned on-air personalities against amplifying unverified claims in the race to break news, stressing that sensational reporting could create panic, suppress voter turnout and undermine peace.

The REC disclosed that 64 media organisations had already applied for accreditation to deploy about 560 journalists to cover the election, while the accreditation portal would automatically close at midnight on the first week of next month.

The Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said the forum was organised to deepen collaboration between INEC and the media for accurate and balanced information on electoral process.

In a message, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Adedayo Oketola, described fake news and information manipulation as major threats to peaceful elections.

Mr Oketola warned journalists against sacrificing accuracy for speed.

Kayode Oyedare, Edited By Grace Namiji