Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has warned online publishers against sensational reporting, saying fake news, unverified claims and exaggerated reports could destroy public confidence in elections and worsen voter apathy.
Amupitan gave the warning on Thursday in Lagos while speaking at the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), with the theme, “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities.”
The INEC Chairman was represented by Prof. Ayobami Salami, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Lagos.
The conference brought together publishers, editors, media professionals, election stakeholders, civil society organisations, academics and other critical stakeholders to discuss the role of trust, transparency and shared responsibility in strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process.
Amupitan said the media had a critical responsibility in shaping public perception of the electoral process, stressing that inaccurate reports could have consequences beyond the immediate news cycle.
The INEC chairman added that unverified allegations of electoral fraud could inflict lasting damage on confidence in the electoral process, even when subsequently corrected.
He said: “While INEC carries the legal mandate to conduct elections, the wider democratic health of Nigeria and indeed West Africa depends on the information infrastructure maintained by the media, particularly online publishers. This is where the core concept of Shared Responsibility becomes operational.
“We live in an era where the velocity of digital information frequently outpaces the verification of truth. Across our sub-region, election windows are increasingly targeted by coordinated information warfare, political violence narratives, synthetic media, and AI-generated deepfakes designed to inflame ethnic divides or passion and undermine institutional legitimacy.
“Fake news, unverified leaks, and sensationalised reports directly destroy public trust, incite civil unrest, and induce voter apathy. When an unverified claim regarding electoral fraud is published, the damage to public confidence is immediate and enduring; subsequent retractions or fact-checks rarely repair the injury.
Amupitan urged online publishers to place accuracy above the pressure to break stories ahead of competitors, warning against the use of clickbait headlines and unverified information in election reporting.
He urged publishers to provide proper context when reporting operational challenges during elections, rather than presenting isolated incidents as evidence of systemic failure.
The INEC chairman said responsible journalism would require media organisations to verify claims with the commission and other credible sources, particularly when reporting polling-unit results, electoral irregularities and allegations of manipulation.
He said the commission was proposing a three-point partnership with GOCOP, including dedicated digital fact-verification, stronger editorial self-regulation against the publication of unverified election results and altered result sheets, as well as a national voter education partnership.
Amupitan said the partnership was necessary because online publishers had become “primary storytellers and narrative custodians” of Nigeria’s democracy.
He urged them to use their platforms to strengthen public understanding of the electoral process, including voter education and the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), rather than contributing to distrust and voter disengagement.
The INEC chairman said the commission would continue to strengthen its systems ahead of the 2027 elections, including the deployment of artificial intelligence for data auditing and cyber defence in partnership with Google and Microsoft.
“In strategic partnership with global technological leaders, including Google and Microsoft, we have embedded automated AI data-auditing tools and multi-layered firewalls to shield our databases against cyber intrusions, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and unauthorised data injection,” he said.
Amupitan said the technological measures were part of efforts to ensure that public confidence in the 2027 elections was based on verifiable processes rather than assurances.
He disclosed that the national register had risen to about 103 million registered voters following the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, while nationwide PVC collection was scheduled to begin today.
He said INEC remained committed to delivering transparent elections and called on all stakeholders, including the media, to recognise their shared responsibility for building public trust in the process.
He added that INEC leadership was directly engaging Resident Electoral Commissioners, Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Department, Electoral Officers and Assistant Electoral Officers to identify operational gaps and implement corrective measures before Election Day.
Amupitan said comprehensive training programmes are also underway for election personnel, focusing on electoral administration, technology handling, conflict mitigation and legal compliance.
Amupitan said the commission had also commenced early procurement and distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials to its 36 state offices and the FCT.
He said the early procurement would provide sufficient time for batching, inventory auditing and distribution to the 774 LGAs ahead of the polls.
The commission, he added, had procured and commenced distribution of new operational pick-up vehicles to state offices and LGAs to address transportation challenges in difficult terrains, riverine communities and remote border settlements.
The INEC Chairman said: “The procurement and physical delivery of non-sensitive electoral materials to all
36 State Offices and the FCT have already commenced. Commencing procurement months in advance provides adequate lead time for batching, inventory auditing, and downstream distribution to the 774 Local Government Areas well ahead of Election Day.
“To resolve field transportation bottlenecks —especially in difficult terrains, riverine areas, and remote border settlements—the Commission has procured and commenced the distribution of brand-new operational pick-up vehicles to State Offices and LGAs nationwide.”
He said INEC had also introduced a centralised Operational Activity Schedule to track material movement, storage security and vehicle deployment in real time across state command centres.
While responding to the issue of result declaration, the Lagos State REC, Professor Ayobami Salami, explained that the Constitution specifically vests the authority to return an election result in the Returning Officer.
Salami clarified that being an INEC official does not automatically confer the constitutional authority to return election results.
He noted that even as a Resident Electoral Commissioner, he does not have the constitutional power to announce or return an election result.
He further explained that Returning Officers are appointed by the Commission and are the officials constitutionally empowered to return the results of the elections assigned to them.
In his opening remarks, the Conference Chairman, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, underscored the people’s constitutional right to vote, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the 2027 elections are free, fair and credible.
Agbakoba raised key issues expected to shape political discourse ahead of the elections, particularly the future of fuel subsidy. He challenged presidential candidates to explain their positions on the subsidy regime and what they would do differently if elected.
The former NBA president also questioned who has the constitutional authority to declare election results, amid the growing influence of opinion polls, election projections and unofficial results circulated across traditional and digital media.
He queried whether opinion polls and other electoral projections should not be subjected to the same standards of verification and fact-checking required of other election-related information.
