Politics
MOSOP Makes Case For Killed, Injured Journalists
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), has called on governments at all levels to pay compensation to families of journalists who have been killed or attacked in the course of carrying out their legitimate assignments.
MOSOP hailed journalists in the country for their doggedness and resilient spirit in the discharge of the duties despite repeated attempts to weaken them by some government forces and overzealous security agencies.
President of MOSOP, Legborsi Pyagbara, who stated this in a statement against the backdrop of the ‘World Press Freedom Day’ however,charged journalists to always adhere to the ethics of their profession.
Pyagbara in a statement issued by the acting Publicity Secretary of MOSOP, Sunny Zorvah however, commended journalists for staying committed to the ideals of the noble profession.
The statement reads, “As the world today, May 3, 2019, observes Press Freedom Day, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, congratulates journalists all over the world and particularly commends the Nigerian Press for their doggedness and resilient spirit in carrying out their difficult tasks.
“We celebrate the gentlemen of the pen fraternity and members of the Forth Estate of the Realm, who have, in spite of the odds, remained committed to their call and ideals of the noble profession.
“It is regrettable that rather than making an improvement in our (Nigerian) records in providing safe and free environment for the media to operate, the country, from the latest global statistics, has dropped steps down on press freedom.
“Undoubtedly, Nigerian Press have continued to play vital role in the development, peace and stability of the country, and most be commended for that. Regrettably, they have also continued to be cowed, muzzled and unnecessarily attempted to be weakened by some government forces and overzealous security operatives.
“MOSOP frowns at efforts by individuals, institutions and governments at all levels to silence the media, which provide proper ventilation of public opinions and give voice to the defenseless peoples, particularly, the minorities and indigenous tribes across the world.
“We, however, use the opportunity to call on all journalists and media professionals in Nigeria and the world over not to be deterred or allow themselves to be gagged by oppressive forces but to recommit themselves to upholding the professional ethics or tenet of the profession, which include objectivity, balanced reporting.
“May we also commend the steps taken by the leadership of the Nigerian press to checkmate and address the issue of quackery.
“The Movement calls on governments all over the world to ensure total press freedom and provide unhindered opportunities to journalists to carry out their work. We also urge the authorities concerned to compensate all journalists and media workers, who, in course of carrying out their legitimate assignments, have been attacked, abused and killed.
“For us in the Movement, we will continue to partner with the press on enlightening and mobilizing the citizens and masses, as well as advocating for justice and respect of the people’s fundamental rights, which are parts of the focal commitments and objectives of our struggle and for which the press also stand.
“The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, under the able leadership of Comrade Legborsi Pyagbara, uses this year’s Word Press Freedom Day to renew her commitment to pursuing justice, freedom from all forms of oppression and intimidation of the people, including the Press,” the statement said.
Dennis Naku
Prof. Amupitan gave the warning on Saturday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement organised ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said insecurity remained a potential challenge to the electoral process but stressed that the Commission would not allow threats against its personnel to undermine its constitutional responsibilities.
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger. Let me again send a clear message from Port Harcourt: anyone who attempts to threaten, intimidate, or harm our ad-hoc staff, NYSC members, or permanent personnel will be brought to justice under the full weight of the law,” he said.
The INEC Chairman, who was accompanied by National Commissioners, directors and technical aides, disclosed that the South-South engagement was the fifth in a series of zonal assessments, following similar exercises in the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East.
He explained that his physical presence across the geopolitical zones reflected the Commission’s field-first approach, emphasising that electoral integrity must be established through effective operations at the grassroots.
According to him, the assessment would cover operational preparedness across the 123 Local Government Areas in the six South-South states.
On election security, Prof. Amupitan said INEC had moved away from reactive security arrangements traditionally activated around election day to a proactive, intelligence-driven framework known as the “ICCES Tentacle”.
He explained that the framework was designed to extend inter-agency security coordination from national and state headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres, including remote communities.
He identified three critical pillars of the framework as mapping and mitigating security threats, protecting electoral personnel and infrastructure, and guaranteeing safe access to polling units.
The INEC boss said the security arrangement would provide comprehensive protection for electoral personnel, technological infrastructure, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and server infrastructure, as well as voters.
He added that the framework was intended to ensure that every polling unit, irrespective of its geographical location or history of security challenges, remained safe and accessible for the exercise of democratic rights.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the South-South security architecture comprised approximately 60 major operational formations, headquarters and state commands operating under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The network, he said, brings together military, naval, air, police and other security and intelligence agencies across the six states.
“Together, this integrated multi-agency network represents the operational backbone that guarantees intelligence-led protection across every riverine creek, coastal axis, and land-based polling unit in the Niger Delta,” he stated.
Providing an overview of the region’s electoral significance, the INEC Chairman said the South-South had the fourth-largest voting bloc in the country, with 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of the national register.
Rivers State alone, he said, accounts for 3,736,434 registered voters spread across the 23 local government areas.
Alhaji Abubakar made the demand following revelations that some INEC registration officers allegedly abused their access to the voter registration system to introduce irregular records into the database.
In a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president described the development as a serious breach of the Commission’s internal safeguards and raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
He urged INEC to identify the officials implicated in the alleged misconduct and explain what disciplinary or legal measures had been taken against them.
Alhaji Abubakar also called for an independent forensic audit of the preliminary voters’ register to establish the scale of the alleged manipulation, identify affected records and determine how the questionable entries were introduced into the system.
He further insisted that INEC preserve all relevant voter records, image files, system access logs and electronic audit trails to prevent the destruction or alteration of evidence before an independent examination could be conducted.
The former vice-president also demanded that the Commission disclose the identities of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 polls, arguing that transparency was essential to building public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, had earlier disclosed during a television interview that some registration officers across the country allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce irregularities into the voters’ database.
Dr Bayode explained that the Commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System helped identify questionable records and establish how some irregularities entered the system.
He, however, clarified that not all suspicious photographs were AI-generated, as some resulted from poor registration procedures.
The development followed public concerns over suspected AI-generated photographs, alleged duplicate entries and other inconsistencies discovered in the preliminary voters’ register published online on October 26, 2026.
INEC has maintained that the published document is a preliminary register and that it is reviewing questionable records ahead of the certification of the final Register of Voters.
The controversy has intensified calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the voters’ register as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 general elections.
-
Opinion4 days ago
Ancestorial Worship: My Take (1)
-
Education16 hours agoPAMO MEDICAL UNIVERSITY -Nullifies Arrest warrant on VC
-
Niger Delta17 hours ago
PANDEF Seeks 50% Oil Derivation Allocation Increase
-
Rivers15 hours ago
Don Seeks Repositioning Of Tech Education For Dev
-
Education16 hours agoIAUE MOVES TO END GHOST WORKERS SYNDROME AS 400 NEW NON-TEACHING STAFF UNDERGO MANDATORY ETHICS TRAINING
-
News18 hours agoFresh Ebola Scare As NCDC Records Two Cases
-
News18 hours ago
Customs Partners EFCC, NDLEA, Others To Tackle Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing
-
News4 days agoFG Must Address Nigerians’ Concerns On Reforms -Shettima …Warns Against Misuse of AI, Social Media