Media Task Electoral Commission on Authentic Electoral Act

Media Task Electoral Commission on Authentic Electoral Act
Qasim Akinreti, Abuja

Media Owners and Editors have tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to provide media organisations with an authentic electoral Act to enable Journalists inform and educate voters ahead of the April elections.

This demand was contained in a communiqué at the end of a one day Media Owners/ Editors Forum , Northern Zone ,organised by Democratic Governance for Development(DGD)Project.

Observations

 At the end of the deliberations the forum observed that there was insufficient information dissemination from INEC to the media especially with regard to the authentic   electoral Act.

According to the editors an media owners, the politicians are misinterpreting and misleading the electorate on the provisions of the new amendments to the electoral act due to the non availability of the authentic copy of the act from the National Assembly and government press.

The forum also noted the unguarded statements from politicians on media programmes, and stressed the need for INEC to checkmate their utterances and activities, especially the use of vulgar language and call to violence.

As part of the resolution at the meeting, the forum urged politicians to focus on issues rather than personal attacks while appearing on media electioneering programmes.

It also frowned at the domineering attitude of some state-owned media organisations operating at the expense of the opposition – a situation that it says is inimical to a hitch free, fair and credible elections.

The forum equally noted that some media organisations are heating up the polity through sensationalism and confusing headlines/leads. Similarly, the late arrival of election materials and officials can cause apprehension on Election Day, the group espoused.

Recommendations

 The forum came up with the following recommendations:

• The Police, Civil Defence, State Security Service and other armed forces are key to the success of the electoral process and as such should ensure that they maintain neutral and committed roles during elections.
  • The military should not be engaged at polling stations so as not to intimidate the voting public. However, they can be used in accompanying and distributing sensitive electoral materials.
  • For the INEC, the gathering prescribed that the screening of candidates should not be limited to paper qualifications alone but should include their mental assessment.
  • INEC should set up a daily press briefing and online reporting platform to provide media organisations with 24-hour access to information. That INEC should ensure early arrival of election materials and personnel on Election Day
  • INEC should discourage politicians from giving directives that conflict with the electoral act to their followers.
  • The reward attached to public offices is too lucrative and as such motivate the politicians to vie for public office at all cost.
  On the effective role of the media in the April elections, it was recommended that the media should be involved in aggressive voters’ education, and that the media houses, especially the broadcast media, should allot equitable airtime to all political parties.

  Furthermore, the media is enjoined to adhere strictly to the code of Ethics of the profession and should portray election as a contest and not a war.

  The forum chaired by a former Director General, National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, and a Consultant to the UNDP/DGD Project Dr Tom Adaba was attended by participants from Northern states of the federation including Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,  Nigeria Press Council, National Orientation Agency, and  UNDP officials.

  The UNDP Media Owners and Editors forum was sponsored by the basket of donors  comprising UNDP,EU,DFID and Korea  International Cooperation Agency, KOICA.

  Ekata