• Makinde Receives APC, SDP, LP, NNPP Defectors Into PDP
Three weeks to Ondo State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on media professionals to verify information before publication, debunk misinformation promptly, and educate the public on the electoral process.

This plea was part of INEC’s efforts to promote electoral integrity and prevent the spread of false information.

Speaking at a two-day interactive workshop for staff of broadcast media organised by INEC with support from the European Union (EU), International Press Centre (IPC) and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, represented by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, noted that media reportage can shape public perception, influence voter behaviour, and impact election outcomes.

Yakubu emphasised the importance of media engagement with political parties and their aspirants.

He said: “As broadcast media professionals, you are critical stakeholders in the electoral process. Your reportage can shape public perception, influence voter behaviour, and even impact the outcome of elections.

“Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge the power of your platforms and the ethical responsibility that comes with it.

“It is your duty to verify Information before publication, cross-check facts from credible sources, especially during election periods when misinformation is rampant.

“Provide accurate counter-narratives to false claims to prevent them from gaining traction. Educate the public on the electoral process. Help the electorate understand how the electoral system works, what their rights are, and how they can participate safely and meaningfully.”

Also speaking, Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Ayobami Salami, lamented that the effect of fake news and disinformation in the society has brought about lack of trust and bias in the electoral system.

“It is therefore expected that this workshop will assist to bring into proper perspective the importance of giving and receiving untainted information, in order to enhance trust in our electoral process,” he said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of defectors from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Labour Party (LP) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have been received into the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the November 16, 2024, election.

The defectors were received into the PDP by the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, who is the leader of the party in the Southwest, in Odigbo Local Council when he joined Agboola Ajayi Campaign train to seek votes for the party.

Makinde called for a free and fair election, stating that the Edo scenario would not be allowed to repeat itself in Ondo.

According to the defectors, their decision to dump the APC was due to the purported misrule of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, stressing that the standard-bearer of the PDP would return the lost glory of the state.

Most of the defectors, who were farmers, alleged that the Aiyedatiwa-led administration had destroyed all their farmlands and sold some to Chinese investors at their own peril without any compensation.

The chairman of PDP in the council, Prince Sunday Falolo, assured that Odigbo Local Council would be delivered to the party on November 16.

On his part, the Director-General of the campaign organisation, Clement Faboyede, said Ajayi would return their lands that had been taken away from them by the present administration.

Faboyede said the people of Odigbo should not be bothered as Ajayi would perform excellently well, just like the PDP governors in Oyo and Osun states have been performing.

While urging the electorate to be prayerful so that God would take the party to power during the election, Ajayi stated that his administration would excel in the areas of education, health, infrastructure, security, and agriculture, among others.

He assured the farmers that he would make sure that their farmlands that had been taken away from them would be returned to them, stressing that the APC would not be allowed to rig the election because they are no longer popular in Ondo State.