By Christian Ogbonna
#TrackNigeria: The Nigeria Police Command and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Bayelsa, have resolved to ensure free, fair and credible elections in the state and the nation at large.
They made this remark at a one-day-training workshop for journalists on the 2019 Election Coverage, organised by the Bayelsa Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Yenagoa on Friday.
Mr Aminu Salah, the Commissioner of Police, said that the officers were willing to provide the security needs for the forthcoming elections.
He, however, stressed the need to ensure the security of lives and property as a major challenge to be addressed in the state.
Salah identified other challenges to include, manpower due to the wide area of coverage, thuggery, illiteracy level among the electorate and cultism among others.
The commissioner, who spoke on a topic, “The Challenges of Securing Lives and Property during elections and Safety of Journalists”, said some measures had been put in place to secure both the media and the populace.
“We are collaborating with other security agencies to boost security; our challenge is the electorate because the voter education has been too low,” the CP said.
Mr Monday Udom, the INEC’ Resident Electoral Commission in the state, said the importance of the media in the conduct of elections could not be over-emphasised due to its fundamental roles.
Udom, represented by Mrs Ayei Obaseki, Head of INEC Legal Services in the state, who spoke on “The Role of Media on Election Coverage” urged journalists to be fair in their reportage.
“INEC and the police will work together at ensuring that the elections are free and fair while the media report objectively.
“We know that the monitoring of governance is a fundamental role of the media, especially during elections and journalists should do this with utmost sincerity and accuracy,” Udom added. (NAN)
