2019: INEC restricts Media coverage of elections

• Denies accreditation to Journalists

The Independent National Electorla Commission (INEC) has restricted media coverage of the 2019 general elections which commence tomorrow, Saturday, February 16. This is a perturbing issue at the INEC Office, Yaba, Lagos State, where many Journalists were denied accreditation tags to observe or monitor the Saturday elections.

The Commission after receving requests from several Media organisations in Lagos two weeks or earlier before the election week, for accreditation, dealyued approval of the requests or issuance of tags to Journalists till Thursday, Feb. 14, two days to the comencement of the polls. Journalists who went to the Lagos INEC office early Thursday were attended to by the officials in the afternoon. To the consternation of the Journalists at the Lagos INEC office, the Commission restricted the number of tags issued to each media organisation without explanations.

Media organisations that applied for accreditation for 10 Journalists were issued one tag, those that applied for 20 and above got between 2 and 4 tags, leaving many journalists without accreditation or tags to move freely on the elelction day to observe the electoral process across Lagos State.

This is unusual when compared to past elections when Journalists were issued tags as requested by Media organisations to monitor elections. The Commission could not even explain the reason for shortage of tags for Journalists in Lagos.

The Media restriction has left many Journalists out of the electoral process in Lagos. The fear is that thugs may have field day impersonating as Journalists across Lagos State during the elections on February 16 and March 2.