INEC Cautions Media Against Announcing Election Results In 2027

During the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cautioned media outlets not to announce election results based on figures that were gathered in private.

INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan issued the warning on Tuesday in Abuja during a national stakeholders’ gathering held to commemorate 100 days until the 2027 general election.

According to Amupitan, media outlets must check election-related data with the commission before releasing or airing the results.

Additionally, he urged media outlets to set up fact-checking desks and use digital forensic tools to verify information, especially during election season.

He said, “The third is partnership with you in the media. I repeat the charge I gave to the members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors recently in Enugu.

“Establish fact-checking desks and use digital forensic tools in verifying your information. Verify with INEC before you publish.

“Resist the declaration of privately collated results, because under the Electoral Act, the authority to declare results rests exclusively with the Commission in national elections.

“It is far more important to be right than to be the first.”

“When we’re talking about technology upgrades, I told you that we are doing some work with regard to our BVAS and also our IReV to ensure optimal performance. It is not possible for BVAS to fail everywhere. We are doing everything possible; that is why we have even acquired an additional 57,000 BVAS, as well as inbuilt batteries.

“We are changing most of the inbuilt batteries to ensure that we don’t have any issues relating to the transmission of the results,” Amupitan said.

“But if for any reason there is an inability to transmit from a particular polling unit or from a group of polling units, that will not stop the election from continuing in other places. But it is at the end of it all that you now determine the number of those that are involved,” he said.

Amupitan said collation could still proceed if the affected polling units did not have an impact on the overall outcome of the election.

“And if they do not affect the result of the election, that will not stop the collation. However, efforts will be made,” he stated