By Suleiman Aremu | Solaremnews
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sought the partnership of the media in ensuring a credible and peaceful Osun State governorship election, urging journalists to verify information before publication and avoid spreading misinformation capable of creating unnecessary tension among voters.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), made the appeal on Saturday while declaring the commission fully prepared for the August 15 Osun governorship election during a media briefing at the end of a five-day readiness assessment tour of the state.
Amupitan assured voters that the democratic process would not be undermined by violence, intimidation or any attempt to manipulate the electoral process, stressing that INEC had put adequate measures in place to guarantee a transparent election.
The readiness tour followed the commission’s statewide mock accreditation exercise conducted across selected polling units in the three senatorial districts of Osun State to test the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other election technologies.
The INEC chairman said the exercise confirmed the commission’s technological and operational preparedness, adding that most voter accreditations were successfully completed through facial recognition within seconds.
He noted that technical issues identified during the mock exercise were promptly resolved by the commission’s ICT team.
“The mock accreditation exercise is our quality control protocol. What we saw today confirmed that our technological defence against identity theft and result manipulation is robust and fully operational,” he said.
To strengthen election-day operations, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had increased the number of BVAS devices for the election from 4,427 to 5,130, while backup devices had been doubled from 664 to 1,328 to ensure quick replacement in case of malfunction.
He said 2,339,233 eligible voters would participate in the election across 3,763 polling units in 332 wards spread across the state’s 30 local government areas.
The INEC chairman also disclosed that the training of 16,374 ad hoc staff was nearing completion, assuring that the personnel would be adequately equipped for their duties on election day.
Amupitan added that all 14 political parties contesting the election had signed the Peace Accord facilitated by the National Peace Committee as part of efforts to promote a peaceful electoral process.
On security arrangements, he said INEC had adopted a proactive approach through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), with intelligence-led deployments planned for identified flashpoints across the state.
He added that the commission was collaborating with security agencies to tackle vote buying, electoral violence and other offences capable of affecting the credibility of the election.
The readiness assessment also included engagements with traditional rulers, including the Ooni of Ife and the Ataoja of Osogbo, who pledged to mobilise their subjects for peaceful participation in the election.
The commission also met with transport unions to finalise logistics arrangements, while inspection visits to local government offices confirmed that non-sensitive election materials had been deployed ahead of the poll.
Amupitan urged the media to play a constructive role by providing accurate information and resisting the spread of unverified reports.
He said responsible journalism remained critical to building public confidence and ensuring that voters are properly informed ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
No Comment! Be the first one.