By Balarabe Oshiafi
Members of the fourth estate of the realm on Thursday March21, 2024 interacted with the management of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It was incisive, interactive and rather exhaustive as to ways of giving adequate reportage to INEC’s activities, minimize post-election complaints and boost the confidence of the citizenry in the electioneering process.
As usual, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC set the template for the session with his opening remarks.
“As you are aware, the mandate of the Commission is to organise, supervise and conduct elections in addition to other electoral activities. This is an extensive responsibility which involves seven different types of elections: general elections, bye-elections, off-cycle elections, supplementary elections, re-run elections, referendum and recall. Only last month, the Commission conducted 48 elections made up of 9 bye-elections and 39 re-run elections in 26 States of the Federation involving three Senatorial Districts, 17 Federal Constituencies and 28 State Constituencies spread across 8,934 Polling Units in 575 Wards located in 80 Local Government Areas with a total of 4,904,627 registered voters. I have said repeatedly that there is no election season in Nigeria any longer. Elections are held regularly and all-year round between one general election and another”.
The retentiveness of the memory of the INEC boss really caught the interest of Expressday Newspaper. Off the prepared speech, he reeled out names, locations with statistical precision. Yakubu’s performance bespoke of so much brilliance that the President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Chris Isiguzo acknowledged that the INEC Chairman would call out the names and organisations of all the journalists present in the Hall were it not for the constraint of time.
After appreciating Yakubu and his management for their resilience and commitment to growing democracy through improved conduct of elections, Isiguzo urged Journalists not to starve electioneering of their expertise. He said, “As we stand on the cusp of off-season elections, particularly in Edo and Ondo states later this year, it is imperative that we underscore the vital importance of free, fair, and credible elections in the advancement of our democratic governance. Elections serve as the cornerstone of our democracy, providing the mechanism through which citizens exercise their fundamental right to choose their representatives and chart the course of their collective future”.
Of course, the NUJ President recognized that members of the fourth estate of the realm have never shied away from their constitutional role as watch dogs of the society and he commended them as such, “I wish to express my profound appreciation to the media for their indispensable role as the watchdogs of democracy. The media plays a crucial role in informing, educating, and mobilizing the electorate, thereby facilitating the exercise of their civic responsibility. Your tireless efforts in promoting public awareness, scrutinizing electoral processes, and holding stakeholders accountable contribute significantly to the integrity and credibility of our electoral system”,
During the question and answer session, journalist after journalist took time to vocalise observations, air constructive criticisms, state positions all geared towards minimizing complaints and litigations in the coming Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
Yakubu didn’t mince words in responding appreciably to all the concerns raised. He was profuse in expressing gratitude to media houses for their support and value-adding reportages over the years.
“We have taken note of your generosity. Some of you have given us complementary slots. We are quite appreciative of this”, he noted.
In his own remarks, the President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Ike Neliaku averred that the public relations profession feels strongly about stakeholders engagement and commended INEC for sustaining the quarterly interaction.
He also suggested that a youth group should be included as apart of the interest holders to be invited in future meetings, adding that this will boost their sense of belonging and ignite patriotic fervour in them.
“On behalf of NIPR, I want to recommend the inclusion of Nigerian Youth in this consultation. Therefrom, instead of fighting you, they will feel involved. So as you do this, consider them so that once in a while they can interact with you “, Neliaku advised.
As the quarterly interaction with stakeholders comes to an end on Friday, all eyes are on Edo as a testing ground for the effectiveness of the deliberations and resolutions reached.
