The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cautioned journalists against presenting WhatsApp messages, Facebook posts, voice notes, photographs, and documents circulated by individual staff members or political party agents as official positions of the commission.
The Kaduna State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Saidu Ahmed, gave the warning during a three-day retreat organized by the Kano State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kaduna.
The retreat, themed “2027 General Elections: Navigating Legal, Security, and Ethical Challenges in the Media,” examined legal, security, and ethical issues that could affect journalists covering the 2027 general elections.
Ahmed, represented by an INEC supervisor, Malam Ahmed Musa, urged journalists to familiarize themselves with the Electoral Act 2026 and ensure that their election reports reflected the provisions of the new law.
He said the media had an important role in shaping public perception and warned that irresponsible reporting could affect national cohesion.
“You can make or break even a nation. So it is always on you to try to make a nation, not to break a nation,” he said.
According to him, the Electoral Act 2026, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on February 18, 2026, introduced changes that would affect the conduct and coverage of the 2027 elections.
Ahmed said Section 47 of the Act made the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) a legal requirement, while electronic transmission of polling-unit results was now mandatory.
He added that Section 60(6) prescribed penalties for presiding officers who deliberately obstructed the electronic transmission of results, while Section 62(9) provided punishment for returning or collation officers who intentionally collated or announced false results.
The REC said the new law had also abolished indirect voting in political party primaries, requiring parties to adopt either direct primaries or consensus.
He further explained that courts could no longer stop primary elections or electoral processes through injunctions, as disputes arising from such processes would be addressed afterwards.
Ahmed urged journalists to understand the various stages of the electoral process, including party primaries, candidate nominations, publication of candidates’ lists, campaigns, pre-election litigation, election-day activities, and post-election petitions.
He specifically advised reporters to verify election-related information through INEC’s official communication channels before publication.
“At the national level, the official communication channel is through the INEC Chairman and the National Commissioner in charge of voter education and publicity.
“At the state level, the official channel is the Resident Electoral Commissioner, who may delegate another official to communicate on behalf of the state office,” he said.
Ahmed also warned journalists against presenting political party agents as INEC officials.
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“An agent does not work for INEC. If it is not on the record from a named officer or a signed commission document, then it is not INEC speaking,” he said.
On media accreditation, he said journalists and media organizations would be required to obtain accreditation before covering electoral activities.
He said applications would be processed through the INEC Media Accreditation Portal, with media organizations expected to submit formal letters of introduction, details of journalists assigned to cover the elections, and passport photographs.
According to him, INEC would announce the opening and closing dates for the portal, which would automatically shut once the deadline elapsed.
Ahmed said accreditation could be denied where the identity of a journalist or media organization could not be professionally verified.
He said accredited journalists would have lawful access to polling units, collation centers, and other designated electoral facilities but stressed that accreditation tags were personal and could not be transferred to another person.
He urged journalists to display their accreditation tags throughout the electoral process.
The REC, however, warned journalists against entering voting cubicles, handling electoral materials, obstructing electoral officials, or interfering with the conduct of elections.
“You don’t have access to the voting cubicle. We operate a secret ballot system. You cannot film a voter while casting a ballot because that amounts to revealing the voter’s choice,” he said.
He also advised journalists to photograph result sheets only after they had been completed, signed, and posted as required.
Ahmed urged reporters to document key details such as polling-unit codes, names of electoral officials, and times of electoral activities, noting that journalists’ notebooks could provide useful evidence when verifying or defending reports.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Government has urged journalists to promote development journalism and provide balanced reports on government policies and projects.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Umar Faruk, made the call in a message delivered by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, Mustapha Muhammad.
Faruk commended the Correspondents’ Chapel for organizing the retreat, saying it provided an opportunity for journalists to examine their professional responsibilities and issues affecting society.
He said journalists occupied an important position beyond reporting daily events, as they were also responsible for informing citizens, holding institutions accountable, and providing platforms for governments to explain their policies and programs.
The SSG urged journalists to balance scrutiny of government with responsible reporting of development efforts.
He said development journalism should not be equated with government propaganda, but should focus on investigating and reporting the impact, quality, beneficiaries and implementation of government policies and projects.
Faruk identified education, healthcare, agriculture, youth empowerment, women’s development, employment, environmental protection, infrastructure, and social investment as areas requiring sustained media attention.
He urged journalists to go beyond reporting ceremonies and project commissioning by investigating whether completed projects were meeting the needs of their intended beneficiaries.
According to him, citizens had the right to know how public resources were being used and the effect of government policies and projects on their lives.
The SSG said constructive criticism remained an important component of journalism and could help governments identify and respond to citizens’ concerns.
He called on journalists in Kano to strengthen the practice of development journalism by assessing government performance based on tangible improvements in citizens’ lives rather than political sentiments.
Also, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr Ahmed Maiyaki, urged journalists to uphold professional ethics and strengthen political reporting ahead of the 2027 elections.
Maiyaki said membership of a political party did not necessarily prevent an individual from practicing journalism but stressed that journalists must maintain professional discipline and adhere strictly to ethical standards.
He urged journalists to remain committed to professional ethics even when doing so could expose them to pressure or other consequences.