…Cautions against reporting unauthorized election results
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has organized a one day sensitization workshop for media practitioners in Awka, Anambra State to sharpen their skills in pre and post-elections reportage.
The workshop which brought together Managers and Controllers of News and Programmes of Radio and Television Stations as well as online bloggers in the five South Eastern States of Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and Abia as well as those of Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states held in Awka, anambra State.
Speaking at the workshop, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye reminded the journalists that the nation and the commission had barely two weeks to the Presidential and National Assembly Elections adding that as media managers, they must also be putting finishing touches to their strategies and tactics of covering election related issues and post-election litigations and challenges.
Okoye noted that there were relevant and specific materials that were germane to their work noting that their knowledge of those documents would enrich the quality of their products and show themselves and their media organizations as purveyors of relevant information for the consumption of the Nigerian people.
According to him, “You must have a copy of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). The constitution is the fundamental law of the land and all other laws are dependent and flow from its provisions. The second is the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended).
“The Electoral Act sets out the procedures and processes for the conduct of elections in Nigeria and the third are the Regulations and Guidelines as well as the Manuals issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the conduct of elections.
“It is axiomatic that you cannot give what you do not have. To report and report confidently, media managers must have good knowledge of the dynamics and nuances of the electoral process. A media manager that is blank in terms of information and a media manager that does not read and insist on informing the public is a danger to the electoral process and a danger to democracy.
“It is a matter of common knowledge that a large majority of the Nigerian people relies on the media for information on the electoral process and it is crucial, it is fundamental and in the national interest for media manager to be on top of relevant information to enable them inform and educate our people”.
While observing that accredited media organizations and observers were allowed into the polling units, collation centres and distribution centres, he however pointed out that it was not permissible to violate the secrecy of the vote by attempting to record how a voter was voting or how the voter had voted.
“The media are allowed or permitted to record and use the vote scores by each political party as pasted in the Publication of Result Poster EC60 (E). The media and accredited observers are not allowed or permitted to make a declaration or announce results of an election as that is legally reserved for the Returning Officer who makes a declaration and a return.
“By section 123 (4) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) any person who announces or publishes results of an election result knowing same to be false or which is at variance with the signed certificate of return commits an offence and is liable on conviction to 36 months imprisonment.
“As we progress toward the conduct of the 2019 elections, it is important for the media and the Commission to be on the same page and work symbiotically for the good of the Nigerian people. I want to once again assure the media that the present Commission is determined to conduct credible elections that meet international standards. We will not let the country down”, he concluded.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Anambra State, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji while appreciating the journalists for attending the workshop added that by the end of the workshop, participants would become more knowledgeable and assist the commission in carrying out voter education.
Nkwachukwu who was represented at the workshop by the Administrative Secretary of the Commission further advised the media practitioners to be factual and objective in their political reportage.
He assured that INEC in Anambra State would conduct a free, fair and credible election in the state saying that the commission in the state was ready for the general election.
He therefore thanked the commission for the choice of the state as the venue for the workshop.
Photo: INEC National Commissioner, Barr. Festus Okoye.
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