By Nkechi Eze
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has warned online publishers against fake news, unverified election results and sensational reporting, saying such practices could erode public confidence in the electoral process and worsen voter apathy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to an official statement signed by Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Amupitan gave the warning on Thursday in Lagos at the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), themed, “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities.” He was represented at the conference by the Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Ayobami Salami.
Amupitan said online publishers had become critical actors in shaping public perception of the electoral process, stressing that inaccurate information could cause lasting damage to public trust even when subsequently corrected.
“Fake news, unverified leaks, and sensationalised reports directly destroy public trust, incite civil unrest, and induce voter apathy,” he said.
The INEC chairman warned that the rapid spread of digital information had created an environment where unverified claims could circulate faster than facts, while coordinated information warfare, political violence narratives, synthetic media and AI-generated deepfakes were increasingly being used to inflame tensions and undermine electoral institutions.
“While INEC carries the legal mandate to conduct elections, the wider democratic health of Nigeria and indeed West Africa depends on the information infrastructure maintained by the media, particularly online publishers,” Amupitan said.
He urged online publishers to prioritise accuracy over the pressure to break stories ahead of competitors, warning against clickbait headlines and the publication of unverified information, particularly during the election period.
Amupitan also called for proper context when reporting operational challenges during elections, cautioning against presenting isolated incidents as evidence of systemic failure.
He urged media organisations to verify election-related claims with INEC and other credible sources, especially when reporting polling-unit results, alleged electoral irregularities and claims of manipulation.
The INEC chairman proposed a partnership with GOCOP focused on dedicated digital fact-verification, stronger editorial self-regulation against the publication of unverified election results and altered result sheets, as well as a national voter education partnership.
Amupitan described online publishers as “primary storytellers and narrative custodians” of Nigeria’s democracy and urged them to use their platforms to promote voter education, encourage the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and strengthen public understanding of the electoral process.
He said INEC was also strengthening its systems ahead of the 2027 elections, including the deployment of artificial intelligence for data auditing and cyber defence in partnership with Google and Microsoft.
According to him, the measures were aimed at protecting INEC databases against cyber intrusions, distributed denial-of-service attacks and unauthorised data injection, while ensuring that public confidence in the elections was based on verifiable processes rather than assurances.
Amupitan disclosed that the national voter register had risen to about 103 million registered voters following the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, while nationwide PVC collection was scheduled to commence on Thursday.
He added that INEC leadership was engaging Resident Electoral Commissioners, Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Department, Electoral Officers and Assistant Electoral Officers to identify operational gaps and implement corrective measures ahead of Election Day.
The INEC chairman said comprehensive training programmes were also underway for election personnel, focusing on electoral administration, technology handling, conflict mitigation and legal compliance.
He further disclosed that the commission had commenced the procurement and distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials to its 36 state offices and the Federal Capital Territory to allow sufficient time for batching, inventory auditing and distribution to the 774 Local Government Areas ahead of the polls.
According to him, INEC had also procured and commenced distribution of new operational pick-up vehicles to state offices and LGAs to address transportation challenges in difficult terrains, riverine communities and remote border settlements.
He said the commission had introduced a centralised Operational Activity Schedule to monitor material movement, storage security and vehicle deployment in real time across state command centres.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State REC, Prof. Ayobami Salami, clarified that the constitutional authority to return an election result rests with the Returning Officer appointed by the commission.
Salami explained that being an INEC official did not automatically confer the authority to return election results, stressing that even as a Resident Electoral Commissioner, he did not have the constitutional power to announce or return an election result.
He said Returning Officers were appointed by the commission and were constitutionally empowered to return the results of elections assigned to them.
Earlier, the Conference Chairman, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, urged INEC to ensure that the 2027 elections were free, fair and credible, stressing the constitutional right of Nigerians to vote.
Agbakoba also challenged presidential candidates to clearly state their positions on the future of fuel subsidy and explain what they would do differently if elected.
The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association further questioned the growing influence of opinion polls, election projections and unofficial results circulated across traditional and digital media, asking whether such information should be subjected to the same standards of verification and fact-checking expected of other election-related information.
