The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), an affiliate of the European Union (EU), yesterday, commenced capacity training for about 40 journalists in Enugu to empower them for coverage of elections.

Project Coordinator of ECES, Hamza Fassi-Fihri, restated during the training the determination of the Centre to continue to partner journalists across the country for improved reporting on elections.

Fassa-Fihri further said that training was aimed at ensuring effective coverage of elections, despite teething challenges faced by reporters pointed out that the training was part of the mandate of the foundation aimed at providing technical assistance and guidance to Electoral Management Bodies (EMB) around the world.

He said the centre had been working in Nigeria since 2017 as part of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project.

He said the project was dedicated to support the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) in the country.

“This is the first of a series of workshops which will be delivered upon Enugu SIEC’s request and ahead of the upcoming local government election in the state.

“Experience shows that there is no democracy without free media and there is no free media without committed journalists,” he stated.

Responding, Commissioner in the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Mrs. Bernardine Ezugwu, said the electoral umpire was poised to deliver a transparent election on Feb. 23, 2022.

Ezugwu said ENSIEC had been going through the required processes that would lead to a transparent and credible exercise in the state and by extension, the entire country.

She said no fewer than eight political parties had registered to participate in the polls and commended the foundation for organising the training, which she said, would improve the effectiveness of the media and electoral umpire in the election.