….Tasks media on fake news; promises greater openness, transparency

Seventy-two hours to the March 24 deadline for the submission of candidates for the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, eight of the 18 political parties seeking participation in the exercise are yet to file their nominations on the special portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this, yesterday, in Abuja, at the first quarterly consultative meeting with media organisations, warning that the deadline would not be extended.

He said: “For Edo State, 18 political parties conducted their primaries monitored by the Commission. Going by the provision of the Timetable for the election, political parties have 20 days from 4th March 2024 to upload the list and personal particulars of their candidates to our dedicated web portal.

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“A week later on 31st March 2024, the Commission will publish the personal particulars of the candidates (Form EC9) as required by law. I urge the media and the general public, particularly registered voters in Edo State, to scrutinise the bio-data and credentials of the candidates which is the essence of the publication as provided by law.”

With regards to Ondo State, Yakubu said political parties will commence their primaries for the Governorship election in the next two weeks.

He said at the moment, 17 out of 18 parties have indicated interest in participating in the election, and urged media organizations to engage with political parties as well as their aspirants and report on the primaries with the same diligence and depth they report on the main election conducted by INEC.

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“Doing so will go a long way to strengthen our democracy since only the products of the party primaries are ultimately placed on the ballot paper for citizens to vote for in the main election. Party primaries are as important as the main election conducted by INEC.
“A very important reality in today’s age of information technology is the spread of fake news and misinformation instantly and on a global scale.

“We appreciate our partnership with the media and I want to reassure you that INEC will continue to work closely with you.

“More specifically, some of the innovations introduced by the Commission to improve service delivery to the electorate, ensure the safety and security of journalists and grant them unimpeded access to various locations during elections and electoral activities drawn from your reports as well as the suggestions and recommendations made during our quarterly meetings. I urge you to continue to be a bulwark against fake news and misleading narratives about the Commission and its activities”, he added.