Media professionals in Edo State have been urged to use their platforms responsibly and engage with civic voter education to empower citizens to make informed decisions ahead of the governorship elections in the state.
This call was made by Dr. Akin Akingbulu, Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), during his welcome address at a Media Engagement event ahead of the Edo State gubernatorial elections.
Dr. Akingbulu emphasized that the event is part of the European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Phase II Project, which aims to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic processes by enhancing the media’s role in providing fair, accurate, and inclusive electoral coverage.
Highlighting the project’s goals, Dr. Akingbulu explained that CEMESO, in collaboration with the International Press Centre (IPC), is working to improve the professionalism of media practitioners. This includes building their capacity to tackle misinformation and disinformation, diversifying civic and voter education (CVE), and ensuring inclusive electoral coverage, particularly for women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
“The event is specifically designed to address the unique needs of off-cycle governorship elections like the upcoming election in Edo State and would focus on refreshing participants’ understanding of the state’s CVE context, examining contemporary practices, and generating strategies to enhance CVE delivery in media outlets across the state.
He urged the media to fulfill their duty in providing professional coverage and voter education, stressing the importance of understanding the local electoral landscape and consistently engaging with it to ensure citizens are well-informed and prepared to participate in the election.
Looking ahead to the September election, Dr. Akingbulu expressed confidence that the people of Edo State, along with other democratic stakeholders, are eager for a free, fair, and credible election. He encouraged the media to contribute positively to this process by promoting peaceful conduct, preventing malpractices, and ensuring the participation of all citizen groups.
In his welcome remarks, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Dr. Lanre Arogundade, highlighted the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage, which outlines guidelines for equitable representation, professionalism, social responsibility, and ethical conduct. “The code emphasizes accurate and impartial voter education, dissemination of information in indigenous languages, and clear identification of political advertisements,” said Arogundade. He underscored the media’s responsibility to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in voter and civic education and election coverage.
Earlier, the Programme Manager of CEMESO, Mr. Timothy Bamidele, stated that the project’s media support focuses on enhancing the professionalism of media practitioners. The initiative addresses misinformation and disinformation, promotes effective civic and voter education, encourages the use of the Freedom of Information (FOI) law, and fosters inclusivity in the electoral process, with particular attention to women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
In their goodwill messages, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr. Festus, and the state Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs. Adeshewa, described the training as timely and acknowledged the challenges faced by the media, such as the need for neutrality and the potential for misinformation and disinformation.
They emphasized the importance of training media professionals to address these challenges ahead of the election.
The media professionals in Edo state have been charged to adopt their platforms professionally and engage with issues on civic voter education that will empower citizens to make informed decisions. This submission was made by Dr. Akin Akingbulu, the Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), during his welcome address at the Media Engagement ahead of the Edo State gubernatorial elections.
Dr. Akingbulu emphasized that the event is part of the broader European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Phase II Project, stressing that the initiative was aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s democratic processes, with a specific focus on enhancing the media’s role in providing fair, accurate, and inclusive electoral coverage.
Highlighting the objectives of the project, Dr. Akingbulu explained that CEMESO, in collaboration with the International Press Centre (IPC), is working to improve the professionalism of media practitioners. This includes building their capacity to address misinformation and disinformation, diversifying civic and voter education (CVE), and ensuring inclusivity in electoral coverage, particularly for women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
The event in Benin City is specifically designed to address the unique needs of off-cycle governorship elections like the one upcoming in Edo State. Dr. Akingbulu noted that the discussions would focus on refreshing participants’ understanding of the state’s CVE context, examining contemporary practices, and generating strategies to enhance CVE delivery in media outlets across the state.
Dr. Akingbulu called on the media to fulfill their duty in providing professional coverage and voter education. He stressed the importance of understanding the local electoral landscape and engaging with it consistently to ensure citizens are well-informed and prepared to participate in the election.
Looking ahead to the September election, Dr. Akingbulu expressed confidence that the people of Edo State and other democratic stakeholders are eager for a free, fair, and credible election. He encouraged the media to contribute positively to this process by promoting peaceful conduct, preventing malpractices, and ensuring the participation of all citizen groups.
In his welcome remarks, The Executive Director, International Press Centre, Dr Lanre Arogundade use the opportunity of the event to draw the attention of the participants to relevant provisions of the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage, which outlines guidelines for equitable representation, professionalism, social responsibility, and ethical conduct.
“The code emphasizes accurate and impartial voter education, dissemination of information in indigenous languages, and clear identification of political advertisements” according to Arogundade.
Mr Arogundade said the responsibilities of the media in upholding the highest standards of ethics and professionalism while engaging in voter and civic education and coverage of election cannot be over emphasized.
Earlier, the Programme Manager of the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Mr. Timothy Bamidele, stated that the project’s Support-to-the-Media component, co-implemented with the International Press Centre (IPC), aims to enhance the professionalism of media practitioners. It focuses on addressing misinformation and disinformation, delivering effective civic and voter education, promoting the use of the Freedom of Information (FOI) law, and fostering inclusivity in the electoral process, with particular attention to women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
In their separate goodwill messages, the state Chairman Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr Festus and the state Chairperson, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Mrs Adeshewa acknowledge the challenges faced by the media, such as the need for neutrality and the potential for misinformation and disinformation. The importance of training media professionals and addressing these challenges before the election is emphasized.
