Report by Innocent Okoh
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, said it was poised and confident that Edo gubernatorial election would be credible, free and fair, and hence the electoral body had since on September 28, 2023, been working round the clock in order to achieve a hundred percent success.
The commission stated this during a forum it organized for news reporters, producers, and on-air personalities, in Benin city, Edo state capital, ahead of the September 21 election.
According to the electoral body, the purpose of the forum was to highlight the level of preparedness for the governorship election and also set the stage for fairness, balance and impartial reportage and analysis by the media through their coverage of the election process.
Among the department which the commission said it had achieved great feat are: information and voter’s education, legal framework with concerns on the electoral act 2022, voting procedure, training of electoral officers/adhoc staff, security engagement, logistics, review of sensitive and non-sensitive materials which will be made sufficient and for all the polling units and the registered voters in the state.
The commission further said that all BVAS for the Edo election had been configured and all required softwares had been installed to function online and offline even as backup BVAS had been made sufficiently available for use in all the polling units that would be used for the September 21, exercise.
It added that its social media platforms and INEC news site had been strengthened to provide updated information about the commission’s activities and the Edo election.
In a welcome address, the administrative secretary, Edo state, Emmanuel Ogbodu, expressed the commission’s appreciation over the impressive turnout of journalists, describing it as encouraging despite the downpour.
He highlighted the essence of the engagement, which he said, “is basically an engagement between the reporters and the commission. And we agree or know that it is very important that we cross engage with you people because you will tell the world what you understand and what you see and what you experienced in all our processes. So it is very important that we between the commission and the reporters understand what we are doing, the rules and regulation, the modus of operation, the legal framework concerning the operation, so that we all be on the same page “.
Also speaking, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, represented by CPS to the Hon. Chairman INEC, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi noted that journalists play a crucial role in shaping the nation’s democracy, owing to the great and vital role in the democratic process, particularly during elections. He explained that the work of the media ” influences public perceptions, informs voters’ decisions, and upholds the integrity of the electoral process. The media is an indispensable partner in the conduct of the elections, your roles extend mere reporting, you are the bridge between the electorates and the electoral process. ”
He added, “Through your platforms, you educate voters on their rights, responsibilities, and the procedures of the electoral process, you highlights manifestos and policies of candidates, facilitating informed choices by the electorates. Your investigative journalism brings transparency, exposing malpractices, and ensuring accountability. Moreover, in an era of misinformation and fake news, your role as gatekeepers of factual information is critical. It is through your dedication to truth and accuracy that voters are protected from misleading magnanimity that could compromise the integrity of the election. ”
The National Commissioner further used the opportunity to call on the media to mobilize voters who participated in the recently conducted voter registration exercise in the state to go and collect their PVCs. He said, ” this is an appeal to the media to mobilize citizens for PVC collection, the chairman of INEC announced that the permanent voters card of registrants from the recently conducted voters registration in Edo state, are ready for collection. We commenced the distribution of PVCs on Thursday, 22 August 2024, at all 192 wards across the state. Let me reiterate here that collection is strictly by person and not by proxy. The exercise will go on till 8th September, 2024, from 9am in the morning to 5pm in the evenings everyday including weekend, we will distribute at the ward level from today till Monday 26 August, 2024, and after that the collection will continue in our 18 LGA offices across the state, from Wednesday 28 August, 2024, to Sunday 8th September, 2024.
Olumekun charged journalists and on-air personalities to be well vast in the Electoral Act 2022 for them to effectively carry out their duties, which includes accurate reporting and analysis. He added that the media knowledge of the electoral act 2022, will also help in setting the right narrative for the election and ensuring that candidates, political parties and INEC are held accountable should there be any bridge of the law throughout the electoral process.
While responding on behalf of Edo journalists, the chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Edo state council, Comrade Festus Alenkhe, thanked INEC for the opportunity as he said it will further spur journalists to do their job in the forthcoming governorship election. He said the Press is the only accredited body that is enshrined in the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended, where the role of the Press is clearly defined and as as such the Press owe it a duty to hold INEC accountable.
According to him, “chapter 2 section 22, clearly defined the role of the Media, and it said the Press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times refrain to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in the chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people. Therefore, as stated in the 1999 constitution, we owe it a responsibility to hold INEC accountable towards ensuring we have a very successful election in Edo state, on 21 September, 2024,” he said.
Other speakers at the meeting include INEC HOD Electoral Operations, Mr. Frank Ogbise, HOD Legal, Barr. Amadi Rita, HOD ICT/VR, Engr. Akan Lawrence, Director VEP, Mary Nkem, and Nathaniel Gana.
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