The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has urged the media to uphold verified, ethical and dispassionate reporting ahead of the Aug. 15 Osun governorship election.
Amupitan made the appeal on Saturday during an interactive session with media executives at the commission’s headquarters in Osogbo.
He said that as the election approaches, the greatest threat facing the commission was not technical failure, but the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
“In this final window, the greatest threat we face is not technical failure, but the pathology of misinformation and disinformation.
“Fake news, manufactured election-day panic, and the unauthorised declaration of parallel results are direct assaults on public peace and democratic stability.
“Your role as the Fourth Estate is therefore critical to the survival of the process,” he said.
The INEC chairman noted that the commission had made the media accreditation process seamless through its dedicated portal.
“We have accredited your field reporters because we want you to see everything. In return, we demand a commitment to verified, ethical and dispassionate reporting.
“Verify your facts before you broadcast. When a glitch occurs in a single polling unit, do not report it as a systemic failure across the state.
“Use your platforms to educate voters: remind them that without a Permanent Voter Card, there is no voting, and that vote-buying remains a criminal offence being addressed by the EFCC and ICPC,” he said.
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Amupitan reaffirmed the commission’s preparedness to conduct a credible election, describing INEC as an independent, neutral and impartial umpire.
“We do not care who wins the election; we only care how they win. Our sole responsibility is to ensure that the process is credible, that every valid vote counts, and that the outcome reflects the true will of the electorate,” he said.
He disclosed that a total of 2,339,233 registered voters would participate in the election across 3,763 polling units in 332 wards and 30 local government areas.
The INEC boss, however, expressed concern over reports of violence and threats in the state.
“We recognise that insecurity is a direct assault on the sanctity of the ballot, and we are determined to overcome it.
“As chairman, it is important that the environment for this election is one of peace, not intimidation.
“We will not allow the democratic will of the people to be subverted by fear or force,” he said.
Amupitan added that the commission had recalibrated its security strategy from reactive monitoring to proactive prevention.
“We have activated a robust security framework through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.
“We are deploying intelligence-led measures to polling units and collation centres, working closely with the Police and the Armed Forces to protect personnel, materials and voters.
“Any attempt to disrupt the election will be met with the full weight of the law,” he said.
He further stated that the mock accreditation exercise conducted by the commission was largely hitch-free, noting that an initial challenge involving the rejection of old PVCs was promptly resolved.
“The mock accreditation is our quality assurance protocol, designed to test our technological infrastructure under real-world conditions ahead of the election,” he said.
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