Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has tasked media organisations on professionalism and mobilisation of eligible voters for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for Feb. 21.
Mr Mohammed Haruna, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (INEC), made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at a forum for media executives, producers and reporters.
Haruna, the supervising National Commissioner for the FCT, advised journalists to study electoral laws and adhere strictly to the Media Code of Conduct for Election Coverage.
“Your coverage of the elections should be informed by a grasp of the country’s constitution, Electoral Law and the Commission’s Rules and Guidelines which have the force of law.
“Of equal importance to your knowledge of these documents, if not even more, is the integrity and professionalism which you bring to bear on your coverage of elections.
“We all have our prejudices and biases but we must never allow these to get in the way of being fair and objective in our conduct.
“Your knowledge of elections will therefore be of no use if you do not subscribe and adhere to your Code of Conduct for Election Coverage,” Haruna said.
On the commission’s preparations, Haruna said that INEC was “on course,” having successfully executed 10 out of 13 key scheduled activities slated for the election.
He listed the three outstanding activities as the publication of the notice of poll on Feb. 7, the end of political campaigns on Feb. 19 and the election day on Feb. 21.
“We have acquired virtually all the non-sensitive materials required for the election and batched them according to the six area councils, 62 wards and 2,822 polling units in the territory, in readiness for the election.
“We are also on course to print the sensitive materials, namely: ballot papers and result sheets, possibly ahead of time.
“As is our established practice, the commission will, in the presence of party agents, security personnel, civil society organisations and the media, take delivery of these sensitive materials.
“It will be delivered from the FCT branch of the Central bank of Nigeria on Wednesday, Feb. 18 for subsequent distribution to the six area council offices, in readiness for the opening of polls at 8.30 a.m. on Feb. 21,” he said.
Haruna added that Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines were being configured for deployment.
He pledged the commission’s commitment to leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the council election was free, fair and credible.
The INEC commissioner reminded journalists that the INEC portal for media accreditation would close on Feb. 8, urging interested organisations yet to register to do so.
In his remarks, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for FCT, Malam Aminu Idris, reiterated the commission’s commitment to a transparent and inclusive election.
Idris, however, said the objective could not be achieved by INEC alone, stating that it required the support of a responsible, professional and ethical media that prioritised accuracy over speed, facts over speculation and public interest over sensationalism.
Idris said that “public confidence in elections is influenced by how the process is reported”, calling on the media to help counter misinformation and fake news.
Providing an update on the candidates, Idris disclosed that the commission had approved Danbaki Titus as the replacement candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Igu ward, Bwari Area Council, following the death of the initial candidate, Zachariah Danbaki.
He also announced that a mock accreditation exercise would be conducted in 289 selected polling units across the six area councils to test the technology for the polls.
According to Idris, the FCT currently has 1,680,315 registered voters.
To ensure efficiency, he said that the commission had approved the decongestion of large Registration Area Centres (RACs) in Dutse Alhaji, Kubwa, Gwarinpa, and Kabusa wards.
He, however, noted that elections would not hold in four polling units—three in Garki ward and one in Jiwa ward—as they had no registered voters.
In her goodwill message, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, Ms Grace Ike, urged journalists to prioritise accuracy, professionalism and safety during the area council election, warning that misinformation could undermine public trust and threaten peace.
Ike said that elections were no longer determined solely at polling units, adding that the information space played a critical role.
“Elections are not won only at polling units; elections are also won and lost within the information space,” she said.
Ike urged journalists to prioritise verification over haste, and not allow their various platforms to become weapons in the hands of desperate politicians.
“Let us verify before we publish. Let us not trade truth for traffic. Breaking news is good, but breaking society is dangerous,” she said.
The NUJ chairperson called on INEC, security agencies, political parties and their supporters to respect the media and guarantee the safety of journalists and their equipment before, during and after the election.
Ike said that NUJ would not tolerate intimidation, harassment or denial of access to journalists by security agencies.
“NUJ will not accept a situation where reporters covering elections are treated as enemies,” she said.
