The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osun State Council, has called on political parties, security agencies, election officials and other stakeholders to ensure the safety and protection of journalists covering Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
The council made the call in a statement signed by its Chairman, Adeyemi Aboderin, and Secretary, Olalekan Akindoju, stressing that journalists must be allowed to perform their professional duties without intimidation, harassment, assault, arrest or any form of obstruction.
The NUJ urged all political actors and other participants in the electoral process to respect the rights of journalists and create an environment that allows them to report events accurately and independently.
The council also advised journalists covering the election to prioritise their personal safety, avoid unnecessary confrontations and exercise caution while carrying out their duties.
According to the union, journalists should immediately report any incident that threatens their safety, restricts their access or prevents them from carrying out their professional responsibilities.
The NUJ further encouraged journalists to take advantage of the WaFlo WhatsApp-enabled live election incident reporting system deployed by the International Press Centre (IPC).
The AI-assisted platform is designed to enable journalists to document and report incidents such as threats, harassment, physical attacks, detention, seizure of equipment, denial of access and other forms of interference encountered during election coverage.
Journalists can access the Safe Media WhatsApp prompt through the designated channel or send the word “safemedia” to 0805 877 8053. They can also access the service through the designated Safe Media link.
The Osun NUJ Council appealed to security agencies to recognise journalists as key participants in the democratic process and provide adequate protection for them at polling units, collation centres and other locations where electoral activities will take place.
It equally urged journalists to uphold the ethics of the profession by maintaining professionalism, impartiality, accuracy and responsible reporting throughout the election.
The council stressed that the responsibility of ensuring a peaceful electoral process rests on all stakeholders, urging political parties, security agencies, election officials, journalists and voters to work together to protect the integrity of the election.
The NUJ said a safe environment for journalists would enable them to effectively document the electoral process while allowing voters to exercise their constitutional rights without fear or intimidation.
It therefore called on all stakeholders to put the peace and credibility of the election above partisan interests and ensure that journalists are able to carry out their duties safely and without interference.
