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From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has identified fake news and misinformation as twin evils posing the greatest threat to electoral integrity in Nigeria.
National Commissioner and Chairman in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mr. Sam Okumekun, made the remarks yesterday in Awka during a forum organised by the commission for media executives, reporters, producers and on-air-personalities in the state ahead of the governorship election on November 8.
Represented by his deputy, Mr. Wilfred Ifogah, the commissioner called for appropriate reportage of the election and urged media practitioners to be proactive to ensure that truth about the conduct of the governorship election ran faster than falsehood and misinformation.
He urged media practitioners to always verify every news item before reporting, noting that false stories, manipulated videos and unverified claims can create unnecessary tension and erode public trust.
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“As society’s mirror, the media reflects our collective conscience. In elections, your role becomes even more sacred. You are the interpreters of the electoral process, helping citizens understand not just how to vote, but why their participation matters. Democracy thrives when citizens are well-informed. To be well-informed, they must have access to accurate, timely and balanced information. That is why the Commission continues to count on you to amplify voter education messages, combat misinformation and keep the public engaged with truth and context.”
Okumekun gave the commission’s assurances and preparedness to conduct a free, fair and credible governorship election, adding that the exercise would be all inclusive to guarantee that no eligible voter was disenfranchised.
Anambra Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Queen Elizabeth Agwu, said the commission has enjoyed tremendous co-operation of the media in the state. She said the media has been fair in their reportage of its affairs in the state and gave assurances that the commission under her watch in Anambra would stick to the principles of the law in all its activities and won’t succumb to any pressure from political interests of sort.
Heads of legal and technological innovation of the commission in Anambra, Mrs Olachi Nwugo and Nnaji Chukwuemeka, as well as their electoral operations counterpart, Mr. Ejikeme Ejimofor, in their separate lectures, highlighted various provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended) that would be religiously applied in the conduct of the polls to ensure a credible outcome.
The commission announced that 2.8 million registered voters have been captured in the INEC register of voters for the Anambra governorship election.
