MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON AGAINST 2027 POLLS WILL BE LIE AMPLIFIED BY MEDIA- AMUPITAN

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HOTJIST NEWS

Joash Amupitan, the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has cautioned that false news spread by the media could be the biggest danger to Nigeria’s 2027 general election.

He made this statement during a meeting of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Amupitan said that more and more, elections are being decided in the “information space,” and that broadcasters play a key role in keeping democracy strong.

He called the airwaves “the main part of our democracy” and warned that wrong information, harmful speech, and unequal access to media can affect how voters make decisions.

He said, “In the 2027 General Election, the biggest threat won’t be a thief with a gun, but a lie spread by a smartphone user through a station that doesn’t check the facts.”

He also talked about laws from the Electoral Act 2026 that aim to deal with these issues, including rules that require equal time on air for all political parties and strict punishments for breaking the rules.

“The Act mandates fairness and balance. You must provide a level playing field,” Amupitan said.

He said under the law, media organisations that fail to allocate equal airtime risk fines of up to N5 million, while individual officers could face imprisonment.

Amupitan also highlighted restrictions on political messaging, including a 24-hour “media blackout” before election day to prevent last-minute manipulation of voters.

He said the act further criminalises hate speech and inciting content, requiring campaigns to avoid “abusive language likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings”.

The INEC chairman said despite these provisions, persistent challenges, including weak enforcement, commercialisation of airtime, and the dominance of incumbents in media coverage.

He noted that “political actors with greater financial resources dominate broadcast space,” undermining the principle of equal access.