The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has called on journalists to play a frontline role in combating misinformation and disinformation ahead of the August 15 Osun State Governorship Election, warning that false narratives pose a greater threat to the electoral process than technical challenges.
Prof. Amupitan made the appeal on Saturday during an interactive session with media executives in Osogbo, where he described the media as a vital partner in safeguarding the integrity of the election through accurate, balanced and responsible reporting.
He stressed that with the election approaching, journalists have a critical responsibility to prevent the spread of fake news capable of undermining public confidence and disrupting the electoral process.
“Your role as the Fourth Estate is critical to the survival of the process. In this final day window, the greatest threat we face is not technical failure, but the pathology of misinformation and disinformation,” the INEC Chairman said.
He warned that fake news, fabricated election-day panic and the unauthorized declaration of election results constitute direct threats to public peace and democratic stability.
Prof. Amupitan explained that the Commission had accredited journalists through its dedicated media portal to ensure they had direct access to election activities, urging them to reciprocate with ethical and fact-based reporting.
“Verify your facts before you broadcast. When a glitch occurs in a single polling unit, do not report it as a systemic failure across the entire state,” he advised.
He further encouraged media organisations to educate voters on electoral procedures, reminding the public that only holders of valid Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would be eligible to vote, while cautioning that vote-buying remains a criminal offence that security and anti-corruption agencies are mandated to address.
The INEC Chairman assured journalists that the Commission had made significant progress in preparations for the governorship election, noting that the mock accreditation exercise conducted across selected polling units demonstrated the resilience of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He disclosed that voter accreditation during the exercise was completed within 30 seconds to two minutes, prompting the Commission to increase the number of BVAS devices for the election from 4,427 to 5,130 and double backup devices from 664 to 1,328 following concerns raised by political parties.
Prof. Amupitan also highlighted ongoing security arrangements, saying INEC had adopted a proactive strategy through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), with particular attention on identified hotspot local government areas across the state.
On inclusive participation, he reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly are able to vote without difficulty through the provision of assistive materials and priority voting arrangements.
He further disclosed that 32,000 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members recruited through the INECPRES portal had been engaged as ad hoc staff, while the training of Supervisory Presiding Officers had been completed ahead of the election.
Reiterating INEC’s neutrality, Prof. Amupitan maintained that the Commission’s sole responsibility is to deliver a transparent and credible election that reflects the genuine choice of the electorate.
“We do not care who wins the election; we only care how they win. Our sole job is to ensure that the process is clean, that every valid vote counts, and that the declaration reflects nothing but the true sovereign will of the Osun electorate,” he said.
The interactive session was attended by INEC National Commissioners, the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Oluwatoyin Babalola, leaders of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), bureau chiefs, editors and other senior media executives.
