Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has accredited ninety-one (91) media organisations, cutting across print, broadcast, and new media, deploying a combined 675 journalists for the forthcoming Ekiti State governorship election.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof Joash Amupitan disclosed this at the governorship election stakeholders forum held in Ado Ekiti on Thursday.
Similarly, 98 observer groups, comprising 96 domestic and 2 international organisations, according to him, have received full accreditation and will be deploying thousands of observers to monitor proceedings across every corner of Ekiti State.
At the stakeholders’ meeting, which had in attendance the parties participating in the election and their candidates, security chiefs and others, Amupitan affirmed the commission’s full co-operation with every accredited journalist and observer.
In the words of the INEC Chairman, “I am pleased to report that the Commission has accredited 91 media organisations — cutting across print, broadcast, and new media — deploying a combined 675 journalists for this election. “Alongside them, 98 observer groups, comprising 96 domestic and 2 international organisations, have received full accreditation and will be deploying thousands of observers to monitor proceedings across every corner of Ekiti State. “This is democracy opening its doors and inviting scrutiny. And that is exactly as it should be.
“To our accredited observer groups, both domestic and international: you are the independent custodians of process integrity.
‘Your mandate is to observe, document, and report objectively, not to advocate, not to intimidate, and not to intervene in ways that exceed your accreditation.
“We welcome your presence as a complement to our own commitment to transparency.
“We charge you to deploy your observers in strict accordance with the guidelines issued by this Commission, to remain neutral in conduct and appearance throughout, and to present your findings to the public with the same fidelity to fact that we demand of ourselves”, he said.
The Commission affirmed its full co-operation with every accredited journalist and observer, saying, “You have our assurance of unhindered access, consistent with the operational requirements of a secure election environment”.
“It is important to place our current operations within the wider national perspective”, he stressed.
Amupitan described the off-cycle election in the Fountain of Knowledge (Ekiti State) as a “critical diagnostic waypoint on our structural roadmap toward the 2027 General Election”.
He harped on the need to to collectively set a standard of peace, procedural excellence, and democratic maturity that the rest of the country can emulate.
“Go out to campaigns with civility, approach the polls with patriotism, and trust that this Commission will ensure that every valid vote counts”, he said.
He stated further that for a Commission firmly anchored on the rule of law, “this forum (stakeholders’) represents our covenant of absolute transparency with the people of Ekiti State”.
He continued, “Following an exhaustive readiness assessment across our local government offices, I am here to personally assure you that INEC is logistically, technologically, and operationally prepared to deliver an election that will stand as an unassailable baseline of credibility”.
