At the fourth and final quarterly consultative meeting with the media this year, held in the electoral body's conference room in Abuja on Thursday, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu reaffirmed this.
We take great pride in working closely with the media. The INEC Press Corps is one of the most dynamic and diversified in Nigeria, with 130 journalists representing 83 print, broadcast, and online media organizations. Yakubu declared, "This close partnership will be sustained and strengthened."
Likewise, you might remember that we committed to discussing with you our strategies and plans for the off-cycle governorship elections in the states of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi.
It pleases me to see that many of you present today are either sending teams of journalists to the three States or are actively participating in covering the election.
"In actuality, according to our most recent data, 1,255 employees from 94 media organizations have been granted accreditation to cover the elections.
"The date for the collection of the identity cards for their officials will be communicated to the accredited media organizations in the coming days."
Yakubu stated that elections are a multi-stakeholder process and that INEC personnel will keep interacting with all parties in order to carry out their duties.
In prior elections, media organizations have voiced concerns about the safety of journalists, technical staff, and the protection of the equipment they deploy on Election Day. He claims that one of these engagements is with the security authorities.
In a similar vein, he said, "you have repeatedly asked the Commission to intervene with the security services to allow you unrestricted access to polling and collation locations."
"I want to tell you that we will keep up this approach as we interact with the security services in the three States and at the federal level.
"At the same time, I would want to remind all media outlets to properly uphold the professional ethics of your field. We appreciate hearing about the election.
"At the same time, you ought to build a defense against false information. For the purpose of clarity, the Commission opposes censorship.
Yakubu continued, stating that the Electoral Commission has always stated that increased transparency and regular, continuous interaction with stakeholders are the best defenses against false information.
At the event, the INEC Chairman informed the media that the Electoral Commission will keep collaborating with them in this respect.