Feb 16: INEC not ready to accredit local journalists

Less than 48 hours to the Feb. 16 presidential election, the Independent National Electoral Commission has yet to accredit a single journalist covering the elections for local media.

Media houses that submitted details of journalists for accreditation are still waiting to have INEC calls—as the commission promised.

Reporters who could no longer endure the waiting are making efforts to call the commission or go to its offices.

But the reports coming from the offices indicate the commission is not in a hurry to accredit local journalists.

As of 9 am Thursday, the Lagos office of the commission hardly looks like it is getting ready for any election on Saturday. The daily official activities have not even started

“Did they ask you to come,” a staffer of the Lagos office told a media house that went there to collect the accreditation IDs.

“No media house is invited yet so I don’t know why you…”

There are no officers of the commission yet at work now to speak officially on the reluctance their reluctance to accredit local journalists.

But weeks ago, INEC accredited hundreds of international observers and foreign reporters who came to cover the election.

The commission has promised Nigerians a free and fair election, and perhaps the outside world only have to see it as free and fair.

On Wednesday, the commission said because card readers were burnt in Awka, Anambra, there will be no election in certain areas on Saturday.

The announcement has sparked protests, as the opposition insists no staggered election on Saturday.