INEC: Landmines Media Must Avoid Ahead of 2023 Elections

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has outlined some of the landmines that the media must avoid ahead of the 2023 elections.

This is as the commission has described the Electoral Act 2022 as capable of reshaping the nation’s electoral system to meet up with the best international best practices without any doubt.

INEC National Commissioner on Voter Education and Publicity, Festus Okoye, said this, yesterday at a one day workshop in Abuja with the theme, “Good Governance: The role of mass media in a free and fair election for sustainable democracy.”

Okoye, who was represented by Deputy Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Chukwuemeka Ugboaja, said the electoral body would continue to partner the media, not only as a key stakeholder in the electoral process but also as a viable tool for combating misinformation, fake news and malicious falsehood.

“As the country moves closer to the 2023 general election, there are obvious landmines that the media must avoid. The media must avoid the breaking news syndrome,” he said. 

Okoye pointed out that some of the mainstream media were gradually gravitating towards online journalism with the attendant quest for breaking news, which were sometimes not properly verified and processed. 

“The media must be circumspect in casting headlines and the thirst for sensational headlines. Sometimes, people look at the headlines and draw conclusions without looking at the body of the report. The media must find the right balance in casting headlines. 

“The media must avoid deliberate falsehood aimed at drawing traffic to sites. Deliberate falsehood aimed at drawing traffic to particular sites is a huge challenge in strategic communication,” he said.

Earlier, the president of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Alumni Association of Nigeria (JAAN), Mr. Ahmed Agberankhe, said the  decision to organise the round table discussion was informed by the esteemed regards for the press as an engine of peaceful mobilisation for peaceful national development.

Meanwhile, the Acting of Legal Services Department, Mrs. Faith  Kotso, while delivering a paper title: “A critical appraisal of the Electoral Act 2022 as antidote to free and fair election in Nigeria  at the 22th annual lecture of the Policy and lawmaker at Nigeria Union Journalists, Lokoja, yesterday, explained that the conduct of elections in Nigeria has always been regulated by the Constitution, which is the grundnorm.

She noted that section 153 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, established the INEC and Section 15, part 1 of the Third schedule  of  the 1999 Constitution, defined the composition and powers of INEC. 

“The Electoral Act is the main electoral  legal framework that regulates all the activities of INEC, from registration-Voters, registration of political parties, conduct of elections, electoral offences, inter alia  Section 148 Of the Electoral Act, 2022, empowers the commission to issue regulations, guidelines or  manuals for the purpose of giving effect to the provision of the Act, hence, the INEC Election Regulations and Guidelines and the Manual for Election officials. 

“This provision was amplified in plethora  of cases, where the Courts held that the INEC Manual and regulations is an extension’ of the Electoral Act and therefore has the force the law. 

“The Constitution envisaged a need for constant review of the rules of the electoral process to deal with emerging problems by empowering the National Assembly to make laws to  guide the general conduct of elections, it is no wonder the National  Assembly has always amended an existing Electoral Act 2023, enacted a new one before a general election.

“It is against this backdrop that the Electoral Act , 2002 regulated the 2003 general election, 2006 Electoral Act regulated the general election, of 2007, whereas, the 2010 Electoral Act, regulated the 2011 general election, and upon the review of the 2011 general election, the 2010 Electoral Act was amended and used for the 2015 and 2019  general election.” 

The Publisher of Policy and Lawmakers Magazine, Blarin Friday Ogungbemi, commended  all the political parties in Kogi State ahead of 2023, acknowledging  that they have exhibited a high level of maturity and political tolerance in the effect.