The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned journalists, broadcasters and online media practitioners against the spread of fake news, misinformation and premature declaration of election results ahead of the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, June 20, 2026.

The Commission said inaccurate reporting, manipulated videos, misleading headlines and unverified polling unit figures posed serious threats to the peaceful conduct of elections and public confidence in the democratic process.

The warning was issued on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at the INEC Media Stakeholders’ Forum held in Ado-Ekiti for media executives, producers, reporters and on-air personalities ahead of the governorship election.

Speaking on behalf of the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ekiti State, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, said the media remained a critical partner in protecting the integrity of the electoral process.

He said the Commission was particularly concerned about the growing spread of false election information on social media and unverified online platforms.

“We call on media executives to establish and activate fact-checking protocols. We call on reporters to verify information from official INEC sources before broadcasting or publishing,” he said.

Dr. Omoseyindemi cautioned on-air personalities against amplifying unverified claims in the race to break news, stressing that sensational reporting could create panic, suppress voter turnout and undermine peace.

“The media is not just an observer in the electoral process; the media is a strategic partner in safeguarding democracy,” he added.

The REC disclosed that 64 media organisations had already applied for accreditation to deploy about 560 journalists to cover the election, while the accreditation portal would automatically close at midnight on June 7, 2026.

He urged media organisations yet to apply to take advantage of the remaining window.

According to him, the Ekiti governorship election will hold across the 16 local government areas, 117 registration areas/wards and 2,445 polling units in the state. He also disclosed that 13 political parties would participate in the election.

Speaking further, Dr. Omoseyindemi said the Commission had substantially completed key preparatory activities, including the publication of the final list of candidates and presentation of the final register of voters to political parties.

He stated that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) would be deployed to ensure transparency in voter accreditation and result management.

The REC added that non-sensitive election materials had been substantially procured, while sensitive materials were at the final stage of production.

He said recruitment and screening of ad hoc staff had been completed, while training would commence shortly.

Dr. Omoseyindemi also announced that Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection in Ekiti State would begin at the registration areas from June 4 to June 8 and continue at local government offices from June 9 to June 11, 2026.

The Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said the forum was organised to deepen collaboration between INEC and the media ahead of the election.

She said the engagement was designed to provide accurate information on electoral procedures, technology deployment, operational guidelines and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

In a goodwill message, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Adedayo Oketola, described fake news and information manipulation as major threats to peaceful elections.

“The greatest threat to a peaceful election today is often not physical violence, but information pollution,” he said.

Oketola warned journalists against sacrificing accuracy for speed, insisting that “speed must never sacrifice accuracy.”

He disclosed that seven out of the nine activities on the Commission’s election timetable had already been completed, adding that INEC was working towards the simultaneous opening of all 2,445 polling units in the state by 8:30 a.m. on Election Day.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi, said the union had introduced measures to curb fake news and improve accountability among online journalists in the state.

He assured the Commission of the union’s commitment to ethical journalism and responsible election coverage.

The one-day forum brought together media executives, editors, reporters and on-air personalities from across the state ahead of the governorship election.

The forum also featured technical briefings from INEC’s ICT, Electoral Operations and Legal Services departments on the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, the INEC Result Viewing Portal, operational logistics and the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

Popular socio-political activist, Aisha Yesufu, has lost the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) senatorial primary election for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

She lost the election to a chieftain of the party, Amanda Pam.

The activist-turned-politician had said her ambition to represent the FCT in the upper legislative chamber was driven by the desire to solve problems in the nation’s capital and give residents a stronger voice in government.

Aisha Yesufu, a staunch supporter of the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is currently being ridiculed on social media.

A Facebook user, one Comrade Idris Omuya, wrote, “Aisha Yesufu lost out in the NDC FCT senatorial ticket primary to this woman. Where are her Twitter and Facebook fans?”

Another Facebook user, Evangelist Divine Vessel, wrote, “This is the old woman who defeated Aisha Yesufu in the Abuja NDC Senatorial primaries. She has no social media account, she doesn’t go on TV stations to rant like a pregnant raccoon.

“She defeated the social media rabble-rouser and protest ambassador, Aisha Yesufu, at the NDC senatorial primary election.

“Politics is local, not social media and TV ranting.

“She has the structure and Aisha has the Twitter likes and Instagram comments, and elections are not won on social media.”

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has cleared the air on the rigging allegation of one of its presidential candidates, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

Speaking during an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said they do not have any evidence to support or deny the allegation.

DAILY POST reports that Hayatu-Deen had announced that he would not attend the party’s presidential election results announcement, citing concerns over alleged widespread irregularities in the exercise.

Reacting, the party’s spokesman said, “We don’t have any evidence to be able to support his position or to deny his position because we’ve not collated the results.

“We’ve not noticed any pattern in the result, and we’ve not seen enough to be able to establish a pattern.

“Eleven states’ results have been received so far. We are still awaiting other results. Any moment from now we are going to start the collation.”