OYO ELECTORAL COMMISSIONER PROPOSES WORKSHOP FOR JOURNALISTS AHEAD OF 2019 POLLS

‘There is the need to organize capacity building workshops for journalists and media professionals in order to enhance dialogue about the ethics and standards of the profession as well as the working conditions’

He said the Commission recognizes the media as one of the critical stakeholders in the electoral process, and has critical role to play in deepening democratic processes in Nigeria.

‘The contributions of the media towards the smooth conduct of 2019 general elections cannot be over-emphasized.  Media have

prominent roles to play in order for the Commission and the country at large to achieve success in the forthcoming 2019 general elections’,Agboke said.

The Commissioner noted that media has three sub-heading in the forthcoming elections, which he said include; media as an informant, as a watchdog, as a platform and public voice.

He explained that, the role of the media as an informant cut across all the three phases of the electoral cycle of the Commission:  Pre-Election Day, Election Day and Post-Election Day.

‘Electoral information such as the date of election, number of political parties contesting for an election, flag bearers of political parties and other activities of the Commission are the duties of the  media to  inform the public’.

The Guest Lecturer stated that, media coverage before, during and after elections should be unbiased, stressing that reporting must not favour one candidate or point of view of a particular candidate.

‘It is also important to mention that the media plays a major role of educating the electorate especially in the area of identification of political parties’ logo, which has indeed posed a major challenge in the recent past. Most of the electorate cannot identify their political parties’ logo; hence the need for the media to take up the challenge of educating the electorate in this regard, political parties inclusive’.

Penpushing also reports that Agboke while speaking on media as a watchdog pointed out that journalists have much more to do than recording and reporting electoral activities.

‘The media being the watchdog and as such must ensure that government and INEC inclusive are held accountable. The watchdog role of the media should include that ability to guide the interest of the electorate. In doing this, it can help warn against the destabilizing factors and warn the electorate against those using them as political thugs and other vices’.

Speaking on media as a platform and public voice, the electoral commissioner said the media provide an outlet for political parties and candidates to communicate their views and messages to the voting public and also giving the people voice to express their thoughts about the conduct and outcome of an election.

His words, ’media is one of the means by which a candidate can present his/her manifestoes and ideas to the populace. In this role, media impact our political views and opinions. Public opinions are usually sharpened using the information provided through this platform’.

 He enjoined the media to partner with Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) in providing information on its plans for election, also adding that as at today, the planning process for 2019 general elections have been concluded with the 2017-2021 Strategic Plan and Strategic Programme of Action, the Election Project Plan and the formation of the Election Monitoring and Support Center.

‘Given the nature of political contests in our country, inaccurate or biased reports could endanger peace, leading to violence before, during or after elections’.

‘As the 2019 General Elections draw near, media practitioners need to be conscious and sensitive in their reports as the power of the media is seen during electoral processes especially at elections’.  

He said, it is possible that 2019 general elections would be one of the most intense- media focused events in our political history, and the stakeholders are likely to rely on media.

‘For this reason, combating hate speeches, fake news and other forms of reporting likely to inflame passion and trigger crisis will be of critical importance to the peaceful conduct of the elections.

‘The media need to expose politicians and political parties intending to cause electoral violence through hate speeches. You can always borrow a leaf from the media organizations in Ghana that published names of political parties and politicians engaging in hate speeches. This is one of the measures that can help the country to address the issue of hate speeches among our political class’, Agboke stated.