Enugu- Mr Vincent Okwor, Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in the South-East, has called on media practitioners not to provoke violence during the upcoming general elections by painting gory pictures of political upheavals.
Okwor made the call on Friday in Enugu while presenting a paper titled “The Media and the Challenges of Electioneering Reportage’’ at the Annual General Meeting of Enugu state chapter of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
He urged the media to desist from editorialising to satisfy their benefactors, and advised them to adhere to their gate-keeping functions without fear or favour.
“The Electoral Act as amended provides for rules and specifies conditions for breaches but does not provide for sanctions; where it does, such sanctions are vague and can easily be overcame.
“Acts of violence are against many extant laws and should be punished accordingly. Linking such acts to politics is begging the question.
“The electorate on the other hand should grow with time. A situation where the media is blamed for violence perpetrated by party supporter on the spur of any provocation is a misplacement of justice,’’ he said.
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Okwor noted that the challenges of electoral reportage would continue due to the level of development in the country.
In another paper titled “Public Relations and Credible Elections’’, the Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) in the state, Mr Isaac Onukwube, called on NIPR to partner other stakeholders in the state on the elections.
He advocated a synergy of relevant groups and agencies to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
Onukwube urged security agencies to provide adequate security to all political parties before, during and after the elections.
He advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sustain the use of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members as ad hoc staff for the election and university professors as returning officers.
Welcoming participants earlier, NIPR Chairman in the state, Mr Chike Ezeugwu, said that the AGM was a moment of reflection for their members.
He called on public relations practitioners who were yet to register with the institute to do so and commended the participants for identifying with the profession. (NAN)