Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu,
has urged online media practitioners to ensure fairness and objectivity in reporting the activities of the commission.
Prof. Yakubu who spoke in Lagos on Wednesday at an interactive session with members of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) noted that INEC and the media play a vital role in sustaining democracy and democratic governance in the country and, therefore, need to work together to achieve this laudable objective. According to him, it is because of their (INEC and the media) role in sustaining democracy that they both derive their powers from the Constitution.
Prof Yakubu however expressed concern that those who are bent on undermining Nigeria’s democracy are engaging in the publication of fake news. He therefore called on GOCOP members to help in containing fake news in the country.
He noted that the emergence of the Internet has brought with it tremendous opportunities for all sectors, including the media and it has broadened the scope of human abilities to share information and knowledge within seconds. He added that the dynamism of the social media, enabled by the power of the Internet, has made it possible for media organisations to upload narratives which in turn are transmitted to digital platforms such as cell phones, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and so on, providing an opportunity for millions of people all over the world to watch them within a short time. He however decried the use of the same free social media by some people try to undermine the electoral system. He said they do this by cooking up wild allegations against the INEC and/or its officials to frustrate a good policy which they perceive as inimical to their selfish interest.
Dwelling on the Anambra State governorship election, Prof. Yakubu expressed joy over the success of the election, noting that the commission has learnt lessons from the challenges experienced at the poll and is determined to build on the success.
He said: “From our assessment so far, much of the glitches encountered on Election Day in Anambra State had little to do with the machines but more with the operators of the system. The extraordinarily difficult circumstances under which the election was held meant that some of the better trained ad hoc staff withdrew at the 11th hour. Similarly, some critical service providers such vehicle owners also withdrew thereby severely affecting our plans for rapid response by our technicians – the Registration Area Technical (RATECH) staff. Technical issues relating to the performance of the BVAS will be addressed in the presentation by our Director ICT at this important meeting. Suffice it to say that in spite of the glitches, BVAS has justified our determination to deepen the deployment of technology in the electoral process.
He stated that: “Given the credible conclusion of the election, it has strengthened our belief that even the minimal introduction of technology in voter accreditation is better than the best manual process. We want to thank the voters in Anambra State for their patience and faith in the new technology. This has also justified the hope of citizens across the country that the deployment of more appropriate technology is essential to electoral integrity in Nigeria.”