Kogi Polls: Media Advised to Fact Check, Avoid Sensational Reportage

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Ahead of the forthcoming Kogi State governorship election, Journalists have been advised to fact check their information, so as not to overheat the polity and deprive women of participating during the election.

Deputy Country Director, National Democratic Institute, Raymond Esabegbon gave the charge at a one-day Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) and STOP Violence Against Women In Politics (VAWIP) media round table, organised by Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI) to sensitize media organizations’ on knowledge of gender-based electoral violence campaign.

The Deputy Country Director urged the media to concentrate on peace messaging and avoid offensive information that tends to discourage women to vote and participate in politics.

He tasked the media to place emphasis on gender political issues geared towards encouraging women participation in politics, warned against sensational reportage and headlines.

While pointing out that the Kogi state governorship election would be driven by information technology, he warned against hastily releasing information that would create panic, urging the media to be in the vanguard for peace and women participation in politics.

The Executive Director, Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI), Eunice Agbogun said that the election of November 16 is a crucial stage in the democratic progress of the state.

Agbogun noted that Kogi State cannot afford to relegate women who constitute half of its voting population to the back and expect to move forward, insisting that women are key drivers of the economy.

Agbogun noted that the Kogi state Women Get Out the Vote (GOTV), voter education and Stop VAWIP campaign project is a four months project that is implemented across the 21 local government councils of the state and aimed at empowering women to engage and participate in the electoral process through knowledge impartation, information and skills provision and community mobilization for a reduced gender-based violence in elections.

According to her, the project employs advocacy, capacity building, community mobilization through door-to-door voter education, community dialogue sessions, media engagement through special structured phone-in programme and many more.


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