…. 70% of journalists in Edo state do not have the INEC Media 2023 General Election accredited identification pass.
The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council Chairman, Comrade Festus Alenkhe, in a brief press conference in its state conference room on Friday, stressed journalists’ rules of engagement while covering Saturday’s election.
According to Festus Alenkhe, journalists nationwide were faced with the issue of accreditation by INEC, stating it may have been caused by the current cash crunch which affected INEC’s budget, and as a result, most journalists in Nigeria could not access the accreditation portal and complete the process.
“As we speak, nationwide there are so many complaints and Edo State is not left out,” he said.
Festus remarked that because of the challenges associated with journalists’ accreditation, Edo State NUJ had to make an alternative: “And the alternative to the accreditation to coverage of the election is what you are seeing here.
“I have been interacting with the INEC officials for the past three months. They came up first to say that we should provide passports photographs and other related data chapel by chapel.
“We presented to INEC, and two months after they returned to say it is now online registration, and they created a website for people to register.
“Everybody registered, maybe one or two here couldn’t. But I know that we announced that everybody should go and register online.
“And the deadline for the registration was on the 5th at midnight; 11:59 pm on the 5th of February, that was when they closed their portal.
“We all registered including me. But only a few of us have it. Where I work they brought about 20 and we submitted about 80 names”, he emphasized.
Alenkhe further mentioned that as of Tuesday, 70% of journalists in Edo state did not get their “INEC Media 2023 General Election” identification pass, hence Edo state NUJ decided to provide “The Nigerian Union of Journalists, Edo State Council 2023 General Elections PRESS” identification pass with the NUJ Edo State Council’s official stamp.
“You can access anywhere with this, after all, we all belong to media organizations.
“So your media organization ID card with this covers you, and apart from this we have also opened our situation room”, he reassured.
Festus Alenkhe announced that the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Edo State Council 2023 General Election Journalists Monitoring Situation Room will become active Saturday, February 25, 2023.
He said that the Journalists Monitoring Situation Room will help to monitor voting activities across the
4,519 polling units with ease and accuracy.
Addressing members of the union on conduct and the need to remain apolitical in the field of play, Festus Alenkhe stated that journalists could send feedback, as well as register their complaints and distress by calling Festus Alenkhe (Chairman) on 08023374944; Andy Egbon (Secretary) on 08058767093 and Elvis Omoregie (Asst. Secretary) on 08054217941.
He also noted that Live updates and interactions should be sent to the Zoom meeting room via login details; Meeting ID: 886 686 2703 with Passcode: 1hFLve
For those desirous of hooking up through Facebook, live streams of the accreditation and the voting process should be sent across by connection to Edo NUJ via Facebook.
Festus mentioned that the situation room officially opens tomorrow, Saturday, February 25, 2023, by 6:00 am and runs till results for the presidential and national assembly elections are officially announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
While emphasizing the importance of the situation room at Edo state council NUJ Press Centre situated at #1, Sir Gabriel Igbinedion Way, GRA, Benin City, Alenkhe stated that seasoned journalists, lawyers, and university lecturers would be present in the situation room for in-depth and ease of communication flow.
Alenkhe declared that the Edo NUJ in its magnanimity had to rise to its task by making tags available for seventy percent (70%) of its members who would have been disenfranchised from their election observation duties based on the shortfall of tags occasions by the accreditation process.
