Former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Imo State, Prof. Emeka Ezeonu, has expressed confidence that votes will count in the 2023 general elections, noting that it will be difficult to rig the polls.
He said that Electoral law as amended 2022 made it impossible for any form of rigging to take place during the elections.
Ezeonu stated this at the installation of new patrons and revalidation of old patrons of the Anambra Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Awka.
He however urged voters to collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and perform their civic responsibility in 2023.
“BVAS approval has tightened the loopholes in the card reader, making the electorate more confident that their votes would count,” he said.
He however urged journalists to always be professional in their reportage.
Prof Stella Okunna, a professor of Mass Communication, with a specialty in Behaviour change Communication and Development communication, charged journalists to be ethically balanced.
Mrs Okunna, a Deputy Vice Chancellor, Paul’s University, Awka, and the NUJ Anambra Council Matriarch, urged journalists to give in their best to build a better society.
She said that Journalists are agenda setters and should live up to their responsibility by fishing and dishing out quality and unflawed reports to their audiences.
Chief Chris Eluemunoh, a veteran journalist and community leader, encouraged journalists not to relent in giving the public quality reports as sound reporting grows a nation.
Mr Eluemunoh recalled that in their time of practice, the environment for reporting was intense but defied all odds to feed the public richly with credible news.
He said as a grand patron of the council, it is his duty to advise journalists to report correctly, accurately and wisely, especially during the general elections.
Eluemunoh said that their reports must be seen to be fair to all and without bias.
