INEC fingers fake news as bane of elections in Nigeria

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has blamed fake news and disinformation for the problems confronting the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

Speaking at a two-day capacity-building workshop for members of the INEC Press Corps, Prof Kunle Ajayi, the National Commissioner and member of the Information and Voter Education Committee of the Commission, noted that unless this was addressed, it would impact negatively on the management of elections in the country.
The workshop, which was sponsored by the Development Alternatives Incorporated, DAI, was themed, “Ethical, Safety Practices and Critical Issues Relating to the Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa Governorship Elections” .
Ajayi added that disinformation is inciting and could provoke religious and tribal sentiments, and described the electoral umpire’s experience with fake news, hate speech and misinformation during the 2023 general elections, as distasteful.
He noted that nefarious individuals and groups in the political space had adopted elections-related disinformation as a major strategy for the manipulation of the general public.
 “I would like at this juncture, to draw the attention of the media to a crucial issue that poses a serious threat to the election process in Nigeria. That is the issue of fake news,” Ajayi said.

“The Commission’s distasteful experience with fake news in the 2023 General Elections has shown that, if not nipped in the bud, fake news can become the bane of election management in Nigeria.

“The alarming prevalence of misinformation, ‘fake news’, hate speech, and the weaponization of disinformation has become very worrisome to the Commission.

“Disinformation is used to provoke religious, political, and tribal sentiments in an already polarized society such as ours, especially, during election season, which is often the leading cause of electoral violence and uprisings.

“Election-related disinformation has become a major strategy used by nefarious individuals and groups in the political space to manipulate the general public to their advantage, regardless of the consequential effect such propaganda may have on the peace and stability of the electoral process and the country at large.”

Rudolf Elbling, the DAI team leader,  urged newsmen to be professional, accurate, and impartial in reporting of electoral matters.

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