The M
inister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has denounced an online report that alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deliberately withheld the real-time upload of presidential election results from polling units.
He described the report as “irresponsible and reckless journalism” and a “deliberate falsehood” twisted by online platforms to serve their selfish interests.
Speaking on Wednesday in Washington DC, the minister explained that his earlier statement on the matter was unambiguous and it was wrong for any media platform to twist it to serve its own interest. According to him, during the election, a technical glitch occurred, and INEC suspended uploading of the results to protect the data. INEC immediately set up a technical team to investigate the glitch and floated another platform to ensure that the results were accurately transmitted.
He pointed out that some media platforms could not accept that the Labour Party or the opposition did not win the election, and as such, they convinced themselves that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would lose the election. The minister said that because of this, the media twisted his statement to make it look like INEC deliberately refused to upload the results, thereby compromising the integrity of the election.
Mohammed reiterated that the publication was a most irresponsible way to practice journalism. He accused the media of having their own agenda, as they inserted the word “deliberately” and omitted the phrase that INEC suspended the upload in order to protect the sanctity of the data.
In conclusion, the minister called on media platforms to uphold the highest level of journalistic ethics and professionalism and to report the news without fear or favour. He urged them to be factual and balanced in their reporting, as the media has a crucial role to play in shaping public opinion and promoting democracy.
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