The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has revealed that some key political actors and stakeholders in the country were not comfortable with the Electoral Act 2022 and would prefer a return to the old act.
The commission also warned that the proclivity for hate speech and fake news by the political elite and political parties could constitute a direct threat to the conduct of peaceful elections in Nigeria.
The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, stated this during an interface with the media and Civil Society Organizations on “Identifying and Mitigating Flashpoints of Electoral Misinformation and Disinformation” organized by the International Press Centre (IPC), in Abuja.
A Senior Fellow, Centre for Democracy and Development, Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, enjoined journalists not to allow fake news merchants to take over election narratives but to remain professional in the discharge of their constitutional role to the society.
