INEC Advises Against Fake News In Edo, Ondo Elections.

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has cautioned media organizations against fake news and misleading reports ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

Yakubu who gave the caution at the first quarterly consultative meeting with media organisations in Abuja said, the Edo governorship poll is scheduled to place place on September 21, 2024 and the Ondo governorship poll will be held on November 16, 2024, while, only 10 parties have uploaded the particulars of their candidates on INEC portal with only three days left to the deadline ahead of the Edo poll, and seventeen out of 19 parties have indicated interest in participating in the Ondo governorship election.

Yakubu also said, INEC does not believe in censorship, and the antidote to fake news is greater openness and transparency, while, the INEC chairman 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 the main election conducted by INEC.

In his remarks, the President, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Chris Isiguzo, stressed the importance of free, fair, and credible elections in the advancement of the country’s democratic governance, as well as the noble ideals of democracy, accountability, and civic responsibility.