The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said he will continue to partner the media in the commission’s quest to deliver credible elections.
According to Yakubu, credible elections cannot be achieved by the electoral umpire alone but with the cooperation of the media and other stakeholders.
The INEC chairman said this in a lecture titled ‘The role of the media in elections and democracy,’ which he delivered at the Press Freedom Awards 2019 of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Abuja.
He was represented by the commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye.
“The success of the 2019 elections did not depend on INEC alone, but on all critical stakeholders, including the media,” Okoye said, stating the commission’s readiness to continue to partner the media to deliver credible elections.
The National President of NUJ, Chris Isiguzo, described the ceremony, which was the second in the series, as “a high-profile event organised to motivate journalists and promote press freedom.”
Isiguzo said the event was designed to honour journalists who had risked their lives in carrying out their legitimate duties, and some friends of the media.
