INEC has suffered 50 attacks in four years - Spokesperson
The Independent National Electoral Commission said on Tuesday it had suffered 50 attacks on its offices across the country between 2019 and 2022.
Of this figure, 11 attacks have been recorded in Imo State alone.
The President's Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, revealed this during a virtual meeting organized by the International Press Center with the support of the European Union for the support of democratic governance in Nigeria.
The meeting aimed to build the capacity of journalists in conflict-sensitive reporting ahead of the general elections.
"Between 2019 and last year (2022), we had 50 unprovoked attacks on our offices and we lost many staff.
“In 2020 we had 22 unprovoked attacks, in 2021 there were 12 and in 2022 there were eight. Attacks spread to Osun, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Bayelsa, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Anambra Ebonyi, Kaduna states , Taraba and Borno. Of all these states, we had 11 attacks in Imo,” he said.
Oyekanmi said the commission relied on media collaboration to make the election a success.
He added: "18 political parties are fielding a total of 15,333 candidates for all the proposed elections and we are talking about 1,491 constituencies where the elections will be held.
"We now have 93.4698 million registered voters. These voters are registered at a total of 176,846 polling stations nationwide."
He revealed that the commission is not interested in the ethnic or religious origins of the registrants but in the strengthening of democracy.
“When you start introducing religion and ethnicity, you put INEC staff members in a difficult situation. When you report facts, it helps the commission, but if you don't report correctly, it could endanger the lives of our staff members,” he added.
Also, a lecturer at Bayero University, Kano, Dr. Rukayatu Aliyu, said that the media has a vital role to play in ensuring a peaceful electoral process.
The executive director of the Center for Information Technology and Development, Yunusa Zakari, said it was important for journalists to know the difference between hate speech and sensitive content.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission said on Tuesday it had suffered 50 attacks on its offices across the country between 2019 and 2022.
Of this figure, 11 attacks have been recorded in Imo State alone.
The President's Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, revealed this during a virtual meeting organized by the International Press Center with the support of the European Union for the support of democratic governance in Nigeria.
The meeting aimed to build the capacity of journalists in conflict-sensitive reporting ahead of the general elections.
"Between 2019 and last year (2022), we had 50 unprovoked attacks on our offices and we lost many staff.
“In 2020 we had 22 unprovoked attacks, in 2021 there were 12 and in 2022 there were eight. Attacks spread to Osun, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Bayelsa, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Anambra Ebonyi, Kaduna states , Taraba and Borno. Of all these states, we had 11 attacks in Imo,” he said.
Oyekanmi said the commission relied on media collaboration to make the election a success.
He added: "18 political parties are fielding a total of 15,333 candidates for all the proposed elections and we are talking about 1,491 constituencies where the elections will be held.
"We now have 93.4698 million registered voters. These voters are registered at a total of 176,846 polling stations nationwide."
He revealed that the commission is not interested in the ethnic or religious origins of the registrants but in the strengthening of democracy.
“When you start introducing religion and ethnicity, you put INEC staff members in a difficult situation. When you report facts, it helps the commission, but if you don't report correctly, it could endanger the lives of our staff members,” he added.
Also, a lecturer at Bayero University, Kano, Dr. Rukayatu Aliyu, said that the media has a vital role to play in ensuring a peaceful electoral process.
The executive director of the Center for Information Technology and Development, Yunusa Zakari, said it was important for journalists to know the difference between hate speech and sensitive content.
Please share this story:
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