The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has warned that fake news could discourage voter participation, undermine public confidence in the electoral process and trigger violence.
Amupitan gave the warning during a meeting with the Kogi State Traditional Council in Lokoja, Kogi State.
He added that the commission was developing communication channels to enable Nigerians to verify information.
Amupitan, who said the 2027 general elections would hold as scheduled in January and February, explained that his visit to Kogi was part of the commission’s nationwide staff interactive meetings and zonal readiness assessment.
According to him, the commission had assessed its infrastructure, personnel and logistics across the South-South, South-West, South-East, North-East and North-West geopolitical zones, with the North-Central zone being the final stage of the exercise.
He said the assessment was aimed at evaluating the preparedness of INEC personnel and the condition of electoral facilities and equipment ahead of the general elections.
He solicited the support and royal blessings of traditional rulers in Kogi State to ensure the peaceful, credible and successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
He urged royal fathers to mobilise eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), discourage political thuggery and violence, and help combat misinformation ahead of the elections.
The INEC chairman, who described the support of traditional institutions as critical to electoral success, said the commission could not effectively conduct credible elections without the cooperation of traditional rulers, whose influence and authority extend to communities, wards and villages.
He called on royal fathers to use their positions to encourage eligible citizens to collect their PVCs, stressing that possession of the card was a necessary requirement for exercising their voting rights.
Amupitan also warned youths against allowing themselves to be used as instruments of political violence, declaring that no political ambition was worth the blood of any citizen or the destruction of community peace.
He urged traditional rulers to send strong messages to politicians and their supporters against electoral violence, intimidation and other activities capable of undermining the democratic process.
On misinformation, the INEC chairman appealed to royal fathers to educate their subjects, particularly those in rural communities, on the dangers of spreading unverified information on social media.
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