The Chairman of Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, Sir Dr Jerry Agbaike says the media has a great role to play towards the success of the local government elections.
The scheduled local government council election is holding on 13 July, 2024.
Agbaike stated this on Thursday in Asaba, at a one day capacity building workshop for journalists.
According to him, it is the role of the media to give accurate information on the conduct of the election to ensure there is peace in the democratic process.
He said most often, misinformation had paved way for rumours to hold sway in elections process which doesn’t give room for peaceful atmosphere in an election.
According to him, ” Misinformation that is orchestrated as rumours on whatsapp or twitter are often picked up by mainstream media houses or influential political figures to perpetrate pre-existing political cleavages identify politics insecurity, political sabotage and election discrediting- all of these vices need to be urgently corrected and this underscores the importance of this workshop..”
The Delta State DSIEC boss said on the Commission’s part, it is prepared to conduct a free, fair and credible election.
Noting that the list of successful candidates who are within the field of selection after the training of all applicants who participated in their recent training of prospective adhoc staff is in progress.
“On our part, as a commission, DSIEC is driven by the strong ethics of equity, justice, fairness and high integrity as impartial arbiters to deliver on its mandate to conduct a free fair transparent credible and peaceful local government elections on July 13,2024”
Adding that the Commission is in touch with the relevant security agencies to achieve the mandate of the Commission on that day and therefore seeks the cooperation of Deltans to enable the Commission achieve its aims and objectives as far the election is concerned.
” Security and law enforcement agencies are already collaborating with DSIEC to neutralise and diminish political threats, provide adequate security and ensure peaceful elections”
Earlier in his address, the Chairman, Delta State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Churchill Oyowe charged his fellow journalists to take the workshop seriously, engage and ask questions to equip selves as far as the election reportage is concerned.
According to him, the responsibility of the Journalists is not just covering the election but they are to educate and feed the public with the accurate and unbiased information and hold the stakeholders accountable.
He expressed gratitude for the Commission to have organized the programme just as he thanked the resource person who is Professor Godwin Oboh for gracing the occasion to share his wealth of experience in journalism with Journalists.
In his lecture titled: “Making A Successful Electoral Process Through Effective Coverage And Reportage”,
Professor Godwin Oboh, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication at Benson Idahosa University, Edo State said, Journalists should not only accurate information on conduct of the election but not to favour any political party or politicians in their reportage rather, they should be objective as that is only way there would be peace after the elections in the state.
The programme was rounded off with questions and answers.
