The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has debunked the reports that it has set up about 21 voter registration centres in Niger Republic describing the story as as fake news.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that a report had on Wednesday gone viral on social media saying that INEC had 21 registration centres in Niger Republic a claim which spraked serious outrage..
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Dismissing the allegation as fake news, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, who is the Chief press secretary to the INEC National Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu pointed out that it was time people are punished for fake news.
His words: ‘The Commission has 176, 846 polling units across the country and none outside Nigeria. I think it is high time we promulgated a law in this country to hold anybody spreading fake news accountable. Freedom of speech should not be a license for reckless statements.’
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed viral claims that it extended voters registration deadline by 60 days, insisting that it never did so.
The deadline of June 30 was insisted upon by the commission.
Africa Daily News, New York reports that there have been rumours that the commission extended the deadline for voter registration by 60 days as a result of pressure.
Nevertheless, the commission declared that registration would shortly continue notwithstanding the deadline in accordance with the court’s ruling, which commanded it not to terminate the registration.
INEC National Electoral Commissioner for information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, told reporters that there was no truth that it extended the deadline by 60 days.
‘No. We have not extended anything. The June 30 deadline still stands,” he said, saying that the commission would be going to court on June 29 in respect of the injunction granted by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
‘There is a court order to ensure we do not stop registration this month. The injunction is what is subsisting. But as I said earlier, the commission has not extended voter registration for a day.
‘We will be going to court on the 29th of this month to explain our stand on the June 30 deadline. But as of now, the commission has not extended registration but will only respect the court order,’ Okoye said.