Hold decision makers accountable, Mohammed Haruna charges media

A national commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mallam Mohammed Haruna, has called on the Nigerian media to extend its focus on accountability beyond politicians and hold every person or group whose decisions and actions affect the society responsible. 

He said this while speaking at the media roundtable on “The Accountability Imperative: Why and How to Hold the Politicians’ Feet to Fire,” organised by FrontFoot Media Initiative, Lagos.

He said the media must go beyond the constitutional provisions of holding government accountable to the public, but also to hold every institution whose decisions and actions impact people and society to account for their decisions and actions.

He said the first step the media must take in holding politicians accountable to the public is to be knowledgeable about politics and everything else it reports. 

He listed the three rules that “constitute the most critical elements of the country’s electoral legal framework” as the 1999 Nigerian constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and INEC’s Election Regulations and Guidelines 2022.

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FrontFoot Media Initiative is a non-profit, civil society organisation established to advance democracy and development by enhancing journalism quality in Nigeria and the African continent.