A civil society organization, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) says journalist have a strategic role to play in ensuring that elections are peaceful and the process compliant with extant rules.

Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi said this on Monday, March 6, 2023, during a Two-Day Media Roundtable on Peaceful and Non-Violent Elections and Journalism Training in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He stated that proper reportage of the elections would help “ease the tension in the society following the aftermath of the presidential elections,” noting that “Rivers State is one likely area, bookmarked for post elections violence with the gubernatorial polls in view”.

“There are issues following the presidential polls. There are issues of violence here and there and we are preparing for the governorship elections.”

“I’ve heard some practitioners saying every politics is local and that informs why there’s tension across the country because, in some states, the contestation for governorship is way higher than even the presidency.”

“Several states have been on a very high alert as regards governorship elections and I think we have the same here; Rivers is one of those states where local dynamics is extremely volatile and almost every book maker is predicting the possibility of some level of violence during the governorship elections.”

He stressed that the roundtable, which also had training programme for journalists, was geared towards mitigating violence associated with elections and promote a peaceful society in Nigeria.

“That’s why our engagement for these few days is here in Port Harcourt. We think it’s extremely important in terms of engaging the Media on how we can use our platform to douse the tension and not in any way willingly or wittingly contribute to the tension thereby causing more election or election related violence in the country.”  

Delivering a lecture, CAPPA’s Policy and Research Officer, Zikora Ibeh charged media practitioners to have a balanced reportage that is not sentimental nor capable of inciting violence in the society with reference to some headlines used by some media outlet.