By Idowu Adebomi
With less than 30 days to the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has intensified efforts to safeguard the credibility of the electoral process, warning that rising voter apathy and the spread of fake news remain major threats to democratic participation.
The electoral body made this known on Tuesday during a forum for media executives, producers, reporters, and on-air personalities held in Ado-Ekiti as part of preparations for the off-cycle governorship election.
Speaking at the forum, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, described declining voter turnout across Nigeria as a growing democratic concern that requires urgent intervention from critical stakeholders, particularly the media.
Haruna noted that voter participation has continued to decline steadily since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, stressing that while turnout averaged about 60 percent in the early years of democracy, recent elections have witnessed participation levels dropping to nearly 30 percent nationally.
According to him, although the 2022 governorship election in Ekiti State recorded approximately 40 percent voter turnout considered relatively impressive among recent off-cycle elections, the figure still reflected a worrying reality that more than half of eligible voters stayed away from the polls.
He warned that low voter turnout weakens democratic legitimacy and undermines the true mandate of elected leaders.
The Commissioner further disclosed that 66,664 new voters were registered in the state between 2025 and 2026, increasing the total number of registered voters in Ekiti to 1,059,360 after transfers and updates.
“No challenge demands more urgent attention from all of us than the crisis of voter apathy. For too long, we have accepted a democracy where 70 percent stay away while 30 percent decide the future for everyone. That is the reality we must collectively confront. The media is not merely a reporter of what happens at the polls; the media is the mobilizer of participation,” Haruna said.
Haruna also charged media organizations to strengthen fact-checking mechanisms and ensure proper verification of election-related information before publication or broadcast.
“We call on media executives to establish and activate fact-checking protocols. We call on reporters to verify information from our networks before broadcasting or publishing. INEC is committed to being your most reliable source of electoral information, and we ask for your reciprocal commitment to responsible amplification,” he added.
In his welcome address, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, expressed concern over the growing spread of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation, especially on social media and unverified online platforms.
He warned that manipulated videos, misleading headlines, and false election reports could create panic, erode public trust, and threaten the peaceful conduct of the election.
Omoseyindemi urged journalists to embrace responsible and professional reporting by avoiding sensationalism, inflammatory narratives, and divisive rhetoric capable of overheating the political atmosphere.
He also called on the media to promote issue-based campaigns, ensure fair and balanced coverage for political parties, and maintain close collaboration with INEC communication channels for the timely verification of electoral information.
“We have observed in recent electoral processes how fake news can spread rapidly and create tension capable of affecting voter turnout, public trust, and even security situations. The media is not just an observer in the electoral process; the media is a strategic partner in safeguarding democracy,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ekiti State, Kayode Babatuyi, reaffirmed the union’s commitment to combating fake news and promoting ethical journalism ahead of the election.
Babatuyi revealed that the union had expanded its regulatory structure by integrating online publishers into the NUJ framework through the establishment of an online chapel aimed at promoting accountability and professional standards among digital media practitioners.
“Before now, online journalists were not part of our union, and that made it difficult to control activities in that space,” he explained. “Today, we have an online chapel in the state to ensure that journalists operating online platforms can be held accountable whenever they go against professional ethics.”
He maintained that much of the misinformation circulating online often originates from politically motivated social media actors rather than trained journalists.
The NUJ chairman therefore urged media practitioners to uphold accuracy, fairness, and verification in their reportage while supporting efforts toward a peaceful, credible, and transparent election in Ekiti State.