Olachi Nwugo
By Mimi Chiadika
Mrs. Olachi Nwugo, Head Of Department, (HOD) Legal, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Anambra State, has called on journalists reporting the November 8th Governorship election in Anambra to be guided by the Electoral 2022, as amended.
She said that the media has an indispensable constitutional role under the new act (Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution) as the watchdog of the society which is reinforced by transparency-focused provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
Nwugo said that It was crucial for the media to understand the interplay between the hard-copy Form EC8A and the IReV-uploaded image.
“EC8A, the hard copy form remains the legally primary document for the declaration of results.
“However the IReV-uploaded image is a powerful verification tool that provides real-time transparency and a mechanism to resolve disputes at collation, significantly reducing the incentive for result manipulation, ” she said.
Nwugo said that for the 2025 Anambra State governorship election, the media was a fundamental partner in maximising the Act’s intended benefits.
“Media’s accurate, timely and impartial reporting underpinned by a solid understanding of these legal provisions and technological processes, will ensure that the electorate remains informed and the integrity of the process is protected.
“We urge you to leverage the transparency of the IReV platform to counter disinformation and hold all actors accountable to the letter and the spirit of the Electoral Act 2022”.
She noted that the Electoral Act 2022 has provided a robust legal architecture for a transparent and credible election.
Nwugo discloses that the deployment of technology particularly the BVAS for accreditation (S. 47 & S. 51) and the IReV for results transfer and verification (S. 60 & S. 64) has fundamentally altered Nigeria’s electoral landscape for the better.
She noted that the role of the media as the primary source of information and accountability requires a deep knowledge of the legal framework that supports the electoral process.
She said that the Act for legal foundation explicitly provides the legal basis for INEC to deploy technological devices for accreditation, voting, and results transmission, moving these critical processes beyond the previously ambiguous realm of policy and guidelines.
Nwugo advised that the media should manage its relevance and at the same time, overcome the legal risks associated with Section 60(5) and 64, since the law mandates transmission.
She said that Media houses that prematurely declared results based on unverified, non- IReV data faces the biggest risk and urged for precaution.
Nwugo said that credibility mandates the IReV data Policy; All election reports must state the source and verification status of the data provided.
‘If IReV data is missing or glitching reporters must say, “We are unable to verify this through the official INEC portal at this time but this is the hard copy result from the polling unit” and this hedges the legal risk against the media’.
She advises that media should know the difference between voided vote, over-voting, margin of lead, and inconclusive election as defined in the electoral act, ensuring they are legally sound.
Nwugo advised that media personality’s need to invest in Reporter Security (Safety): Section 101 & 104 of the INEC Regulations to define the Role of Security Agents and the Access to Polling Units to journalists.
She advises that the media is empowered by making sure they carry laminated printouts of the relevant sections of the law to show security agents who might attempt to deny them access or harass them.
“The law is their shield, ” Nwugo said.
