NGO warns on danger of vote buying, fake news

Ahead of the governorship election in Kogi State, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Conscience for Human Rights and Conflicts Resolution (CHRCR), has admonished journalists to shun sensational writings and reports that could cause crisis.

It called on reporters to sensitise the electorate on the evil of vote buying, saying that the phenomenon may erode the very essence of democracy in Nigeria.

Making the plea over the weekend, in Lokoja, during a one-day stakeholders meeting, its Director- General, Idris Abdul Miliki,  urged journalists to avoid the use of any language that could lead to conflicts and violence.

According to him: “Some campaign signs can lead to hate speech in some areas, while it has no meaning in other areas. It may have different meaning to some people in another area; we need to watch for slogans that can lead to hate speech.”

“There is the need for journalists to widen the enlightenment scope and let the people know the dangers in buying and selling of votes.

“Vote buying and selling are other forms of electoral corruption.”

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Kogi State, Prof. James Apam, expressed gratitude to the convener of the meeting, saying that the fight against fake news should be all-inclusive.

He said: “Fake news has damaged the peaceful coexistence of many stable nations of the world. The Rwandan genocide is a very bad one for Africa. Let us, therefore, maintain the check and balance in our reportage.”