Kogi election: Politicians engage in fake news to delegitimise INEC -CDD

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The Centre for Democracy and Development said political parties used fake news to delegitimise Independent National Electoral Commission and the electoral process during Kogi governorship election.
Ms Idayat Hassan ,Director CDD ,made this known in the group’s preliminary statement on the conduct of Saturday’s Kogi governorship election.
Hassan said that CDD’ electoral environment observation report had previously predicted that political parties would use fake news during the election to cause confusion.
“Some of the fake news circulated today include the disqualification of the PDP candidates, false results, fake images of thugs arrested and snatching of ballot papers.
” CDD fact-checkers were able to debunk most of the fake news.
“The hoaxes are mainly intended at delegitimising INEC and the process; again, Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp are the leading platforms used to spread disinformation. “
Hassan said that earlier, voters across 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kogi went to the poll to elect a Governor and in Kogi West, a rescheduled senatorial election also got underway following a court verdict .
She said that at the CDD Election Analysis Centre (EAC), reports have been coming from trained and accredited observers deployed across the 21 LGAs of the state.
She said that the preliminary statement was an overview of the initial findings on the conduct of the election.
She said that CDD observed use of financial inducements to affect the outcome of the election.
Hassan said that CDD also noted systematic and coordinated violent attacks at polling units and carting away of voting materials.
She said that in many polling units, observers and journalists were blocked from access and taking photographs in what appeared to be an attempt to prevent the gathering of evidence of electoral malpractices.
She noted that the use of violence in the campaign and open threats of more violence in the election appeared to be a voter suppression strategy which played out on Saturday.

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