The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the media will play a crucial role in ensuring the success of the November 8 Anambra governorship election through the dissemination of accurate information to the public.
Mr Wilfred Ifogah, the Deputy Director of Publicity at INEC, made this known on Wednesday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.
Ifogah observed that media professionals serve as the mirror of society, reflecting the collective conscience of the people.
“The commission appreciates and values the services of the media in ensuring accurate and unbiased information to the public by enabling the people to have factual information on the commission’s electoral expectations.
“We do not want any smearing of the electoral integrity through fake news and misinformation, false stories, manipulated videos, and unverified claims that can create unnecessary tension and erode public trust,” he said.
The deputy director explained that the INEC team assigned for the state governorship election scheduled for November 8 had already arrived in Anambra for a week-long preparation aimed at guaranteeing a smooth and credible process.
He added that the commission had brought together media practitioners within the state to build a partnership and shared commitment toward strengthening Nigeria’s democracy through credible reporting and responsible communication.
Ifogah further mentioned that INEC engaged the media ahead of the election to reaffirm the commission’s preparedness and practical readiness to deliver a seamless governorship poll in the state.
He called on media executives, reporters, producers, and other on-air personalities to collaborate with INEC in providing quality voter education through their reports to the public.
He stressed that the commission’s media engagement forum was established to strengthen collaboration with journalists, combat misinformation, and improve voter education among citizens.
According to him, the media, being the watchdog of society, must work hand in hand with INEC to restore public confidence in the commission’s electoral operations.
He revealed that non-sensitive election materials had already been delivered to the state, while sensitive materials would be distributed at the appropriate time under strict security arrangements.
Ifogah stated that, in keeping with INEC’s commitment to credible and inclusive elections, the commission had been executing a detailed plan of activities covering logistics, technology, training, stakeholder engagement, and security coordination.
“The commission is in Anambra for a week-long readiness assessment visit which will feature meetings with key stakeholders, including the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), transport unions, and a mock accreditation exercise that will be held on Saturday, Nov. 2.
“INEC is ready and fully committed to conducting a free, fair, and credible election in Anambra state.
“The Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from the recently conducted Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in Anambra are ready for collection from Wednesday, Oct. 22, to Sunday, Oct. 26.
“Anambra residents who registered in the last exercise are encouraged to visit their wards where they registered to collect their PVCs; there is no collection by proxy,” he said.
Ifogah appealed to journalists to continuously support INEC through consistent coverage and reporting to encourage registrants to visit their collection centres and obtain their PVCs in readiness for active participation in the poll.
He also urged the media to cooperate with INEC in curbing the spread of harmful or misleading information that could jeopardise the election or damage the credibility of the commission.
The INEC deputy director further called on residents of Anambra to turn out in large numbers to exercise their civic duty, stating that accreditation and voting would commence at 8:30 a.m. and close at 2:30 p.m., or until the last person on the queue had voted.
