Nigeria’s electoral commission chairman has urged media organisations to verify information with the commission and refrain from declaring privately collated results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Joash Amupitan, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), spoke on Tuesday at a press conference and national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.
He called on journalists to establish fact-checking desks and employ digital forensic tools before publishing election-related material.
“I repeat the charge I gave to the members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors recently in Enugu: Establish fact-checking desk and use digital forensic tools in verifying your information. Verify with INEC before you publish,” Amupitan said.
The chairman also cautioned against independent announcements of results, stressing that the Electoral Act grants INEC sole authority to declare outcomes in national elections.
“Resist the declaration of privately collated results because under the Electoral Act, the authority to declare result rests exclusively with the commission. In national elections, it is far more important to be right than to be false,” he said.
Amupitan announced plans to upgrade the commission’s media accreditation portal, which is expected to go live before the end of October 2026. He invited credible international and domestic media organisations to apply early.
“I encourage every organisation planning to cover the 2027 general election to use this window and apply early and complete the process so the accreditation is orderly and no organisation is left out at the last minute,” he added.
