The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called for stronger collaboration with media practitioners to combat fake news, misinformation and hate speech ahead of the June 20, 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

The appeal was made during the INEC Forum for Media Executives, Producers, Reporters and On-Air Personalities held in Ado-Ekiti as part of preparations for the off-cycle governorship poll.

Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ekiti State, Bunmi Omoseyindemi, described the media as a critical partner in safeguarding democracy, stressing that credible and balanced reporting remains essential to the success of any election.

He said the commission had intensified preparations for the poll through voter education, deployment planning for electoral materials, training of personnel, and continuous engagement with security agencies, political parties, civil society organisations and transport unions to ensure a peaceful and transparent election.

Omoseyindemi, however, raised concerns over the increasing spread of fake news, manipulated videos and unverified reports related to elections, warning that such misinformation could undermine public trust and threaten electoral peace.

He urged media professionals to always verify election-related information directly with INEC before publication, while encouraging issue-based reporting and responsible communication to avoid inflaming political tensions.

Speaking at the forum, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu, described the Ekiti governorship poll as a key political test ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said the election would be conducted across 16 local government areas, 177 wards and 2,445 polling units, with 13 political parties participating.

Kudu noted that the poll comes amid concerns over voter apathy, vote buying, political violence, misinformation and declining public confidence in the electoral process.

He called on media organisations to intensify voter education in English, Yoruba and other local languages, particularly on the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

He also reminded journalists of provisions in the Electoral Act governing balanced coverage, election-day broadcast restrictions and penalties for electoral offences such as vote buying.