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By Bello Wasiu
In a statement released on 15th November 2024, the Nigerian FactCheckers Coalition (NFC) announced the opening of situation rooms to monitor and address misinformation surrounding the Ondo State governorship election.
The election is set to hold on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
The coalition, established in June 2022, will operate from monitoring hubs in both Abuja and Lagos, where team members will verify and debunk false claims that may arise throughout the electoral process.
The three International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) Network—Africa Check, FactCheckHub, and Dubawa, as well as other partners including the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Digital Africa Research Lab, Daily Trust, TheCable, Premium Times, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), FactsMatterNG and Round Check has taken an active role in safeguarding election integrity in Nigeria.
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The coalition’s efforts previously addressed misinformation during the 2023 general elections and off-cycle governorship elections in states like Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi, and Edo.
The NFC’s fact-checking framework has gained international recognition and has been adopted in countries such as Kenya, Senegal, Liberia, and South Africa.
Ahead of Ghana’s December elections, the NFC model continues to serve as a blueprint for combating misinformation across Africa.
“We fully support any democratic process that respects the will of the people in society,” NFC Coordinator Opeyemi Kehinde remarked.
“Our teams of researchers, social media analysts, and fact-checkers are actively monitoring misinformation trends on TV, radio, and online platforms to swiftly identify and debunk false information during the Ondo 2024 gubernatorial election.”
Kehinde also noted that a comprehensive analysis of misinformation patterns during the Edo and Ondo elections will be published following the Ondo poll.
The report will outline prevalent misinformation themes, analyze their distribution on social media, and provide recommendations for strengthening real-time monitoring and platform collaboration to curb misinformation.
Kemi Busari, Editor at DUBAWA Nigeria, commented on the ongoing threat of misinformation to the democratic process. “We’re committed to combating any form of false information that threatens our democracy,” he stated, encouraging the public to report suspicious content via the coalition’s designated WhatsApp line.
Similarly, Africa Check’s Nigeria Editor, David Ajikobi, highlighted the coalition’s mission to empower voters with verified information.
“This is our contribution to ensuring the electorate can make informed choices based on accurate facts,” Ajikobi commented.
The NFC’s initiative reflects its commitment to supporting democratic processes and fostering public resilience against misinformation, providing a credible resource for voters as they prepare for the Ondo 2024 election.
