The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has called on media practitioners in Osun State to support efforts to curb the spread of fake news ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The appeal was made on Tuesday in Osogbo by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, during a programme titled “The Journalists-INEC Voter Education and Publicity Dialogue on the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election.”

The event was organised by the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria programme in collaboration with the INEC headquarters as part of preparations for the forthcoming poll.

Addressing journalists and media stakeholders, Babalola stressed the importance of the media in safeguarding the credibility of the electoral process through accurate and responsible reporting.

She said the media remained a critical partner in voter education, information dissemination and public enlightenment, particularly as the election date draws nearer.

Babalola warned that misinformation and disinformation posed significant threats to credible elections in the digital era, noting that false narratives and manipulated content could erode public confidence in the democratic process.

“As we move closer to this important date, the role of the media as a partner in voter education, information dissemination, and public enlightenment cannot be over-emphasised,” she said.

She added, “One of the greatest threats to credible elections in this digital age is the spread of disinformation and misinformation. False narratives, fake results, doctored videos, and malicious propaganda have the capacity to undermine public confidence in the electoral process, incite violence, and delegitimise outcomes.”

The REC urged journalists to verify information before publication and actively challenge false reports with factual and balanced coverage.

“We must therefore work together to build a robust defence against these threats. The media must serve as gatekeepers of truth, verifying information before dissemination and countering falsehoods with factual reporting,” Babalola stated.

She also reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to providing timely, accurate and verifiable information through its official communication channels, urging journalists to rely on those platforms and collaborate with the commission in addressing misleading reports.

According to her, “the dialogue provided an opportunity for INEC and media organisations to develop creative, culturally sensitive and accessible voter education strategies capable of reaching residents in languages and formats they easily understand.”

Earlier, the Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society, Dr Akin Akingbulu, called on journalists to uphold their responsibility of educating citizens about their roles before, during and after the election while also scrutinising campaign promises and monitoring the commission’s readiness for the poll.

Akingbulu said media practitioners should not remain passive observers, adding that they must “reflect, interrogate, and rank. And your perspectives will reach further than you may expect.”

Last week, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, held its primaries nationwide to select candidates for various elective positions ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The party also, at the conclusion of the exercise, summoned its National Executive Council, NEC, meeting to deliberate on it and other matters arising from the exercise.

However, investigation by DAILY POST indicated that the delay in announcing the result by the NDC has since led to growing speculation over the outcome of the party’s primaries

DAILY POST reported how the NDC on Sunday distanced itself from various results of its recently concluded nationwide primaries circulating on social media.

The party warned that the results being shared should be disregarded, stressing that the official outcome of the primaries remains under the custody of the National Executive Council.

The NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, in a statement announced that a NEC meeting had been summoned to deliberate on the primaries and other matters arising from the exercise.

“The general public is hereby urged to disregard the various results circulating on social media as the outcome of the nationwide primaries conducted by the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, on the 28th and 29th of May, 2026.

“The results of the primaries are with the National Executive Council, NEC, of our great party. They are solely responsible for announcements of results,” Director said.

The party further assured members and stakeholders that the official list of candidates from the primaries would be made public after the ratification processes and before submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

DAILY POST reports that despite the assurance, uncertainty continues to hang over the party as aspirants and supporters across the country await the official announcement of results in many constituencies and districts.

One of the aspirants, who talked to DAILY POST about the development complained that he had been in the Federal Capital Territory since after the primaries.

According to him, other aspirants have also relocated to Abuja in order to get first hand information on what is going within the party.

Some political watchers also believe that the delay has raised questions about transparency, internal democracy, and the party’s ability to manage its first major electoral test since its rapid expansion across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

My mandate must stand – House of Assembly aspirant

Amid the suspense, an aspirant for the Awka South Constituency II seat in the Anambra State House of Assembly under the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Chinedu Raymond Obue, urged the party to uphold the outcome of the May 29 primary election.

Obue, in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, claimed that the primary election held at Umuzocha Hall, Awka, was conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.

According to him, the result of the exercise showed that he polled 625 votes, while his opponent, Sam Chuks Okpanduka, secured 73 votes.

The aspirant also claimed that video evidence of the exercise exists and reflects the credibility of the process.

Obue called on the NDC to respect what he described as the wishes of party members and resist any attempt to alter the outcome of the primary election.

He warned that any attempt to overturn the primary election result could undermine confidence in the party and its mission.

“The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) must uphold the wishes of the people and resist any attempt to compromise this victory,” he said.

NDC primary not different from APC, ADC

An aggrieved official of the NDC in the South east has also criticised the party’s handling of its primary elections, warning that the process could trigger internal crises and legal battles if not properly managed.

Speaking with DAILY POST on Tuesday, he alleged that although primary elections were conducted across various states and winners emerged, the delay in announcing the results was linked to attempts by party leaders to favour certain aspirants.

He lamented that many Nigerians had expected the NDC to set a higher standard for internal democracy but that the current situation resembles the controversies that have trailed primary elections in other political parties.

According to him, the establishment of a “selection committee” after the conduct of the primaries was inconsistent with democratic principles and could undermine the credibility of the exercise.

He further maintained that allowing aspirants to contest in primaries and subsequently subjecting the outcome to a selection process amounted to disregarding the will of party members who participated in the exercise.

He said: “Party primaries were conducted across the states and winners emerged, but there are some power plays going on that have stalled the announcement of those results because in most of the states, the so-called big politicians lost.

“And because they lost, the national body is doing what they call ‘the selection committee’, which is an aberration because you told people to go to the field and stand for primary elections. Then you are now putting the cat before the horse.

“After people have done primary and winners emerged, you will now go and sit in a room, what you call the selection committee, to begin to select people you now declare as candidates. That is what is going on, and which, if care is not taken, it is going to backfire. 

“That should have come first, if that is what they want to do because that is by way of consensus, which should come first. 

“If you are able to do it and all the aspirants agree to step down for one person, election would have been to affirm that person chosen using the selection committee and consensus, but you did not do that. 

“You announced date for primaries. The process was on. People went to the field and at the end of the day, you are now saying you are going to announce result for this. What it means is that some people are sitting in one room after which they now come out and announce people they feel are the candidates they prefer.

“So it’s going to backfire at the end of the day. The matter is going to end up in court as a reality.

“They (NDC) have not made any public announcement. Like I said, they said that it’s going to be a selection committee, and they put up a committee. Whatever that committee is doing, nobody knows. Whatever criteria they are going to use to arrive at who will be the candidates, nobody knows. 

“Even the aspirants are not part of whatever they are doing. I’m aware that most of the aspirants are not aware of whatever the committee is doing. So everybody is in the dark of whatever they are doing. That’s the situation.

“Well, the reality is that the party, if care is not taken, the handling of this primary election will destroy the NDC. It’s painfully so because you told people to come out for primary elections, and people came out, and, like I said, some of the places winners emerged. 

“Then, at the end of the day, if you announce names that are different from those people who emerged from the field, of course, it’s going to set the stage for the destruction of the party. That’s the truth.

“People are waiting, people across the states are waiting to see the list they are going to release, whether they are the candidates that emerged during that primary.

“It is unfortunate because people expected NDC to actually set an example. 

“At the end of the day, it is ending up with the same kind of brigandage witnessed when other parties did their primaries. 

“Internal party democracy is not something that is so impossible. It is possible, it is doable, but it is just that the powers that be, who are always jumping from one place to the other, they don’t always want the right thing to be done. 

“And at the end of the day, the masses will revolt, and that is what we are going to do.”

I’m not agitated – Enugu guber candidate, Ene-Nwannaji

Speaking to DAILY POST, Prof James Ene-Nwannaji, who was announced as winner of the governorship primary election by one of the NDC factions in Enugu State, dismissed speculations that the outcome of the party’s governorship primary election could be altered, insisting that the exercise was conducted in line with the law.

Ene-Nwannaji said the primary election was held last Friday across the 17 local government areas of the state and was supervised by party officials and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

According to him, the process produced him as the winner, adding that he sees no basis for any change in the outcome.

The candidate maintained that the exercise followed due process and that any reports suggesting otherwise remain mere speculation.

He noted that while the party’s national leadership is yet to officially announce the result, he is not disturbed by the delay, expressing confidence that a review of the reports from the exercise would not reveal any irregularities.

Ene-Nwannaji said he and his supporters are patiently awaiting the conclusion of the party’s review process, stressing that there is no reason for concern.

“Well, the primaries for governorship took place last week, Friday, and took place in the 17 local governments areas that make up Enugu State. It was duly conducted by the executives of the parties, monitored by INEC, and I emerged as the winner.

“I don’t think there would be any change to my emergence. What will be the change for? And where will the change be coming from? 

“The primaries were conducted by the party executives. The primaries were monitored by INEC in line with the law, and I emerged. if the national executive of the party is thinking otherwise, it’s not to my knowledge. It remains in the realm of rumour. I don’t live in rumour.

“I’m not agitated either. The party will come up any day they conclude studying the report. If there’s question to ask, they will ask. But it is better they do the due diligence.

“So I’m waiting for them. We are waiting for them. We’re not by any means agitated because they will not find anything contrary to what we’ve done, what is known to law, which we did,” Ene-Nwannaji said.

Meanwhile, DAILY POST made an effort to get a reaction from Yunusa Tanko, Coordinator of the Obidient Movement. 

Tanko told our reporter that he wasn’t disposed to comment on the matter because he was in a meeting at the time, promising to get back but he didn’t.