The Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of over 70 civil society organizations, recently hosted a one-day event to discuss election credibility in Nigeria. The event was supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Journalists from various media organizations across the country gathered for an advocacy meeting to explore ways to ensure adequate Reportage for all election stages, which includes Pre Election, Election Proper and Post Election stage.
Y Z Ya’u, Convener of the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room and Executive Director of the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Kano, welcomed participants and emphasized the critical role journalists play in promoting transparency.
YZ Ya’u urged Nigerians to insist on a thorough process for appointing a new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the current Chairman’s term comes to an end. He stressed that the appointment process must be based on principles, rather than partisanship or one with questionable character.
“We must begin to consider the sort of people that are appointed into INEC whether as Chairman, National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs,” he said.
The President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) assured that the union is committed to changing the narrative and promoting a truthful system. He emphasized the critical role journalists play in creating visibility for credible elections.
Bukola Idowu, Team Lead at Kimpact Development Initiative, identified 12 key components of the electoral process that media personnel must focus on to ensure election credibility. These components include Election legal framework, EMB selection and appointment, Election Delimitation, Election security, Political Party Management, Electoral Justice, Political Finance, Electoral education, electoral logistics and procurement, Political office incentives, and Misinformation and Disinformation.
The event concluded with recommendations for the media, including the need for a process-driven approach, staying on election issues until they are resolved, and promoting accurate electoral and voter education to counter disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech. The Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room and the NUJ reaffirmed their commitment to working collectively to promote credible, transparent, and accountable elections.
