*Prof. Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, warns online publishers against sensational reporting, stating fake news, unverified claims, and exaggerated reports could destroy public confidence in elections, and worsen voter apathy
Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect
Prof. Joash O. Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has warned online publishers against sensational reporting.
Amupitan said fake news, unverified claims, and exaggerated reports could destroy public confidence in elections and worsen voter apathy.
Amupitan gave the warning Thursday, October 8, 2026, in Lagos, while speaking at the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP).
The theme of the 2026 GOCOP Annual Conference was: “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities”.
Prof. Ayobami Salami, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Lagos, represented the Chairman of INEC at the forum Thursday.
ConsumerConnect reports the Guild’s 19th Conference attracted publishers, editors, media professionals, election stakeholders, civil society organisations (CSOs), academics, and other critical stakeholders to discuss the role of trust, transparency, and shared responsibility in strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process.
The INEC Chief further said the media had a critical responsibility in shaping public perception of the electoral process.
According to him, inaccurate reports could have consequences beyond the immediate news cycle.
Amupitan noted that unverified allegations of electoral fraud could inflict lasting damage on confidence in the electoral process, even when subsequently corrected.
Mr. Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary (CPS)/Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, in a statement, also noted Prof. Amupitan 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.”
The Chairman stated: “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.”
He also noted: “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.”
INEC advocates news accuracy over break stories ahead of competition
Amupitan as well 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.
Responsible journalism, the Chairman of INEC said, 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 equally 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.
Amupitan 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.
On INEC’s strategic partnership with global tech giants
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.
The statement further noted: “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.”
Amupitan said the technological measures were part of efforts at ensuring that public confidence in the 2027 General Elections was based on verifiable processes rather than assurances.
Nigeria has total 103 million registered voters
The national register has 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, the Chairman said.
He also emphasised that INEC remained committed to delivering transparent elections, and urged all stakeholders, including the media, to recognise their shared responsibility for building public trust in the process.
Amupitan disclosed 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.
He said comprehensive training programmes are also underway for election personnel, focusing on electoral administration, technology handling, conflict mitigation and legal compliance.
The Commission, he stated, has also commenced early procurement and distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials to its 36 state offices and the FCT.
The Chairman of INEC 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.”
The Chairman also said INEC had introduced a centralised Operational Activity Schedule to track material movement, storage security and vehicle deployment in real time across state command centres.
Who should declare election results in Nigeria?
Responding to questions after the INEC Chairman’s address regarding result declaration, Prof. Ayobami Salami, Lagos State REC, explained to his audience at the GOCOP Confidence 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.
The Lagos REC 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.
Why Presidential Candidates should explain positions on subsidy to Nigerians
Earlier, in his opening remarks, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, Chairman of GOCOP 10th Annual Conference, had 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 salient issues expected to shape political discourse ahead of the 2027 General Elections, particularly the future of fuel subsidy in the Nigerian economy.
The learned silk also challenged the Nigerian Presidential Candidates to explain their positions on the controversial subsidy regime, and what they would do differently, if elected.
The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) interrogated 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 in the West African country.
Besides, 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 in Nigeria.