Place Accuracy Above Pressure While Breaking Election Stories, INEC Boss Tells Publishers

Place Accuracy Above Pressure While Breaking Election Stories, INEC Boss Tells Publishers

By Our Reporter

Lagos (Core Reporters) – The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has urged online publishers to prioritise accuracy over the pressure to break election stories ahead of competitors, warning that fake news, unverified allegations and sensational reporting could undermine public confidence in elections and worsen voter apathy.

Amupitan gave the warning on Thursday in Lagos while speaking at the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), themed, “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities.”

The INEC chairman, who was represented by the Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Ayobami Salami, said responsible election reporting was critical to protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process.

The conference brought together publishers, editors, media professionals, election stakeholders, civil society organisations, academics and other stakeholders to discuss the role of trust, transparency and shared responsibility in strengthening democracy.

Amupitan said although INEC had the legal mandate to conduct elections, the media, particularly online publishers, played a crucial role in shaping public perception of the electoral process.

He warned that unverified allegations of electoral fraud could inflict lasting damage on public confidence, even when subsequently corrected or disproved.

“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. This is where the core concept of shared responsibility becomes operational,” he said.

The INEC chairman noted that the speed at which information circulated on digital platforms often outpaced efforts to establish the truth, making election periods particularly vulnerable to coordinated disinformation campaigns.

According to him, political narratives, synthetic media and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes could be deployed to inflame ethnic divisions, incite violence and undermine the legitimacy of democratic institutions.

“Fake news, unverified leaks and sensationalised reports directly destroy public trust, incite civil unrest and induce voter apathy. When an unverified claim regarding electoral fraud is published, the damage to public confidence is immediate and enduring; subsequent retractions or fact-checks rarely repair the injury,” Amupitan said.

He urged online publishers to resist the temptation to use clickbait headlines or publish unverified information in a bid to attract traffic and outpace competitors.

The INEC chairman also advised journalists to provide adequate context when reporting operational challenges during elections, warning against presenting isolated incidents as evidence of widespread or systemic failure.

He stressed the need for media organisations to verify information with INEC and other credible sources, particularly when reporting polling-unit results, electoral irregularities and allegations of manipulation.

To strengthen collaboration with the media ahead of the 2027 general elections, Amupitan said the commission was proposing a three-point partnership with GOCOP.

The proposed partnership includes dedicated digital fact-verification mechanisms, stronger editorial self-regulation to prevent the publication of unverified election results and altered result sheets, as well as a national voter education initiative.

He described online publishers as “primary storytellers and narrative custodians” of Nigeria’s democracy, urging them to use their platforms to promote public understanding of the electoral process.

He also called on publishers to support voter education and encourage eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), rather than contribute to distrust and disengagement.

On preparations for the 2027 elections, Amupitan said INEC was strengthening its technological systems, including the deployment of artificial intelligence tools for data auditing and cyber defence in collaboration with global technology companies, Google and Microsoft.

“In strategic partnership with global technological leaders, including Google and Microsoft, we have embedded automated AI data-auditing tools and multi-layered firewalls to shield our databases against cyber intrusions, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and unauthorised data injection,” he said.

He explained that the measures were designed to protect the commission’s databases and ensure that public confidence in the elections was grounded in verifiable processes rather than assurances.

Amupitan disclosed that Nigeria’s national register had risen to approximately 103 million registered voters following the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

He added that a nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards was scheduled to begin on Friday.

The INEC chairman also said the commission’s 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.

According to him, comprehensive training programmes were underway for election personnel, covering electoral administration, technology handling, conflict mitigation and legal compliance.

He further disclosed that INEC had commenced the procurement and distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials to its 36 state offices and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Amupitan said the early procurement would provide sufficient time for batching, inventory auditing and distribution to the 774 local government areas before Election Day.

He added that the commission had procured and commenced distributing new operational pickup vehicles to state offices and local government areas to address transportation challenges in difficult terrains, riverine communities and remote border settlements.

“The procurement and physical delivery of non-sensitive electoral materials to all 36 state offices and the FCT have already commenced. Commencing procurement months in advance provides adequate lead time for batching, inventory auditing and downstream distribution to the 774 local government areas well ahead of Election Day,” he said.

He added that INEC had introduced a centralised Operational Activity Schedule to monitor the movement of materials, storage security and vehicle deployment in real time across state command centres.

Meanwhile, Salami clarified that the Constitution vests the authority to return election results to designated Returning Officers appointed by the commission.

He explained that being an INEC official did not automatically confer the constitutional authority to declare or return election results.

The Lagos REC noted that even in his capacity as a Resident Electoral Commissioner, he did not have the constitutional power to announce or return election results.

He stressed that Returning Officers were specifically appointed by the commission and constitutionally empowered to return the results of the elections assigned to them.

Earlier, the Conference Chairman, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) emphasised citizens’ constitutional right to vote and urged INEC to ensure that the 2027 general elections were free, fair and credible.

Agbakoba, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, also raised issues expected to shape political discourse ahead of the elections, particularly the future of fuel subsidy.

He challenged presidential candidates to explain their positions on the subsidy regime and outline what they would do differently if elected.

The former NBA president also questioned the constitutional authority to declare election results amid the growing influence of opinion polls, election projections and unofficial results circulated across traditional and digital media.

He further queried whether opinion polls and electoral projections should be subjected to the same standards of verification and fact-checking expected of other election-related information.