The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on Wednesday appealed to journalists to eschew publication of fake news and work within the rules of the profession to ensure a successful conduct of the November 16 governorship elections in Kogi State.
INEC National Commissioner of Information and Voters Education Committee, Barrister Festus Okoye, made the call while giving a keynote address at a workshop for journalists on the 2019 Kogi Governorship Election: Legal and Procedural Issues held in Lokoja.
Okoye lamented that hate speech and fake news are becoming very divisive forces in the society, adding that journalists should do all the necessary checks in order not to incite violence during elections.
According to him
“This has since become a threat in our democratic system, as such we should always discourage the spread of all news that will distract our peace and unity in the country. You should be conscious of what will be the consequence when you disseminate the wrong information.”
“As we are getting closer to the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, journalists have to adhere by the code of conduct and the ethics of the profession. Most politicians during elections are into fake news and hate speech, if you don’t assist them, they will go nowhere”, he added.
He pledged more support to journalists in the state to enable them discharge their responsibilities more professionally during the election, saying that his doors will always be opened for inquiries.
In his remarks, the Chairman Kogi State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Comrade Adeiza Momoh-Jimoh said that the training workshop for journalists on the coverage of the general election was timely, noting that the state body of the union was on its oars in fighting quackery in the journalism profession.
