Ahead of next month’s elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu has urged participating parties to avoid breaking the laws during the campaign.
Yakubu said the parties must pay attention to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, the Police Act, and the Public Order Act for the proper and peaceful conduct of their campaigns, rallies, and processions.
This is as the INEC chairman said that democracy will only grow and flourish when there is a free and vibrant media.
He spoke at a workshop for members of the INEC Press Corps.
Prof Yakubu reminded the political parties of the provisions of the law regarding the conduct of their campaign.
He said: “A political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal, or sectional feelings. Abusive, intemperate, slanderous, or base language or innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reactions or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns.
“Let me also remind the media of their constitutional obligations. State apparatus including the media shall not be employed to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate at any election.
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‘’In other words, equal coverage and visibility shall be allotted to all political parties by all public print and electronic media organisations. The same applies in equal measure to privately owned media organizations subject to payment of appropriate fees”.
He explained that the purpose of the training was to deepen the participants’ knowledge of the Commission’s processes and procedures, which will go a long way in ensuring factual, balanced, and informed coverage of the Commission’s activities.
Yakubu said the Commission was conscious of the critical role of the media in the political and electoral process and believes that democracy will only grow and flourish through a free and vibrant media.
The media, he said is also expected to help carry out voter education and public enlightenment; mobilize the electorate to participate in the electoral process through awakening in them, the consciousness of taking ownership of the political process and give visibility and life to the programmes and activities of the Election Management Body with a view to updating stakeholders on the developments in the electoral process.
Speaking on preparation for the forthcoming governorship elections, the INEC boss said the Commission has presented the soft copies of a combined total of 5,409,438 registered voters for the Baylesa, Imo and kogi Governorship elections to Chairmen of political parties in the states and successfully carried out mock accreditation exercise in the three states.
He said that the commission will deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to authenticate the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) and upload polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) seamlessly on Election Day.
On areas where the elections will take place, he said the elections will be conducted in eight local governments, 105 Registration Areas/Wards and 2,244 units in Bayelsa, 27 local governments, 305 Registration Areas/Wards and 4,758 units in Imo and 21 local governments, 239 Registration Areas/Wards and 3,508 units in Kogi.
According to him, soft copies of the register of voters have also been presented to the state chairmen of political parties or their designated representatives at ceremonies that took place at the Collation Centres in the State Headquarters of the Commission in Yenagoa, Owerri and Lokoja.