Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Imo State Council, has assured the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of continued support to its programmes and activities for free, fair and credible November 11 governorship election in the state.

The council chairman, Ifeanyi Nwanguma, gave the assurance at a media executives workshop organised by INEC ahead of the governorship poll. He reiterated that the role of the media in the sustenance and promotion of democracy, good governance and development can never be overemphasised, while describing the media as “the oxygen that drives democracy and development all over the world.”

The Imo NUJ boss also appealed to security operatives in the state to see, embrace and treat journalists as partners in progress during and after the election, stressing that practitioners also play vital roles in helping to achieve violence free and credible elections.

He urged media practitioners to resist the temptation of interfering in the duty of INEC and security agents during the election, adding that it is only the election umpire that is constitutionally empowered to announce election results.

Nwanguma further applauded INEC for organising the media engagement, which he described as timely and vital. He stressed that it provided media executives in the state the opportunity to x-ray the state of media in Imo and other burning issues in the state, as well as chart the way forward.

MEANWHILE, INEC has reiterated its commitment to conduct a free, fair and credible November 11 governorship election in Imo. The Commission assured the Imo electorate that it will remain an impartial umpire, resisting any attempt to compromise standards during the election.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Sylvia Agu, represented by Emmanuela Opara, Imo INEC Head of Voter Education and Publicity Department, gave the assurance while addressing Labour Party (LP) members who stormed the Commission’s headquarters in Owerri, yesterday, on a peaceful protest. She said: “There will be free and fair elections in the state. Other RECs will be part of the election, because it is an off-cycle election.

“The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines will work, and they will work optimally. Our BVAS have never failed, and I can assure you we will have a credible election in the state.”