It is in the interest of the media to heed the call by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof‎ Mahmood Yakubu to get involved in the next general election, Shola Oyeyipo writes‎
With the exception of 1993 and 2015, Nigeria has had a very long history of badly or poorly conducted elections.
One of the consequences has been that not many Nigerians are enthused about participating in elections because of lack of trust in the process.
As 2019 inches closer, the new leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has not only reassured Nigerians that the electoral umpire is perfectly ready for all the elections ahead of it, it has vowed to make the next general election the best in the history of Nigeria.
Mahmood, in a keynote address during the 69th General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos last week, said the cooperation of the media was needed to make the 2019 general election the best.
He noted that the media would play a very crucial role in the success of the 2019 general election.
Judging from the build up to the election and the interest of Nigerians in seeing that the electoral process is free, fair and credible, Yakubu envisioned that the 2019 election would be the most media focused. The more reason he is seeking the cooperation of all segments of the media to make the next general election is a success.
He called on the media a to observe and uphold the provisions of the constitution in discharging its duties.
“We are determined to make the 2019 general elections our best election ever. But we cannot do it alone. We need the full support of all stakeholders. It is our hope that we can continue to count on the support of BON in particular and the media in general. Only by working together can we continue to deepen our democracy,” he said.
Against this background, he urged the Nigerian media, which he said had played positive and significant roles in the country’s democratic evolution to adhere strictly to its constitutional roles, ahead of the 2019 election.
He said: “It is possible that the 2019 general elections would be one of the most intense media-focused events in our political history. Stakeholders are likely to rely heavily on broadcast media, as well as on the new social media.
“For this reason, combating hate speech, 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.”
According to him, credible information capable of enlightening the citizenry and prompting more participation in the electoral process is a vital role of the media that add up to the credibility of an election.
He advised journalists to carry out their responsibilities in accordance with Chapter 2 pecisely Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which stipulates the obligations of the mass media.
He said: “Election is credible not just because of the ability of Election Management Bodies (EMB) to ensure that voters have the requisite information about the process and exercise their rights to choose whom they want; credibility is also judged by the participatory process in which voters have adequate information of policies, programmes, political parties and their candidates, and the entire electoral process, including the level of public debate and quality of information that informed the choices of the electorate.”
Mahmood therefore urged the media to partner with the commission in providing information on its plans for the election, stressing that the planning process for the 2019 general election have been concluded with the 2017-2021 Strategic Plan and Programme of Action, the Election Project Plan and the formation of the Election Monitoring and Support Centre.
He said: “Other critical planning processes towards the election are the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), as well as the collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). These plans need to be popularised to raise awareness and promote voter participation and engagement in the electoral process.
“It is also of significance that the media focuses on ensuring professionalism, accuracy of reports and impartiality. Given the nature of political contests in our country, inaccurate or biased reports could endanger peace, leading to violence before, during or after elections”, he added.
He listed eight important areas he would want the media to assist the commission to include educating voters on how to exercise their democratic rights. They are: impartial reporting on election campaigns, providing a platform for political parties and candidates to communicate their messages to the electorate and providing a platform for public feedback, concerns, opinions and needs to political parties and candidates, the Election Management Bodies (EMBs), government and other electoral stakeholders, thus facilitating interactions on governance issues.
Other areas are; allowing political parties and candidates to debate with each other, reporting results and monitoring vote counting, scrutinising the electoral process itself, including electoral management, in order to evaluate the fairness of the process, its efficiency and its probity and providing information in manner devoid of inflammatory language, and helping to prevent election-related violence.
In a rundown of the recent efforts of the commission, he said INEC had conducted five general elections since 1999 and the 2015 election had so far been adjudged as the best of them all.
“Since then, we have conducted elections into 179 constituencies in addition to the recent verification of petitioners’ signatures for the recall of a member of the National Assembly. Since January this year, we have conducted four (4) elections, majority of them by court order. We still have five (5) bye-elections into National and State Assembly constituencies to conduct, including four (4) vacancies that occurred in less than two (2) months (March-April 2018).
“In addition, we have two (2) off-season Governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States scheduled for July 14 and September 22, 2018 respectively,” he noted.
Addressing the theme: ‘Hate Speech, the 2019 Elections, and the Nigerian Media,’ elder statesman and renowned diplomat, Dr. Christopher Kolade, who tagged hate speech as an indication of the absence of the values for which Nigerians are known, said if unchecked, it is injurious to the coming election.
He said: “Using your emotion negatively means that that person has moved away from his or her proper identity. We need to address the problem from its root. Its important for the broadcast industry to help us remember who we are and why we are here and why we are doing what we are doing.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), Mr. John Momoh, urged broadcasters to abide by the stipulated ethos of their profession.
“In the social and political circumstances that we live in, the broadcaster should strive to be a medium of moderation, in such a way as to relay information with decorum, with logic of perspective, and to be dispassionate in news reporting. Last time I checked, our rules and codes of practice, break this down as balance, objectivity, or fairness.
“Careful thought should now be given to how we create content, because without that, we could create reasons for discrimination, lack of understanding, misinformation, intolerance and conflict.
He prescribed “Greater transparency and accountability,” which he said would come handy in the current climate of misinformation, political lies and widespread distrust.
“Above all, the strength of the broadcaster’s case to ‘trust us, not them’ will lie in sharp, confident, fair reporting. That means journalism that is differentiated; journalism that breaks from the pack; one that is clearly in touch with public concerns and attitudes, and that which is confident in holding the power to account and calling out lies or spin.”
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Idiat Adebule, also called on the media to work according to the dictates of its profession by disseminating credible news at all time.
He called for robust sensitisation to ensure that millions of PVC yet unclaimed were collected by their owners to increase participation in the coming elections.
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Given the nature of political contests in our country, inaccurate or biased reports could endanger peace, leading to violence before, during or after elections
