A member of the Fact-check Osun State Election coalition, Sodiq Yusuf, has urged journalists to intensify efforts to combat electoral misinformation and disinformation ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
Yusuf made the call on Thursday during a breakout session for print and online journalists at a stakeholders’ interface on the conduct of a credible governorship election, organised by the International Press Centre (IPC) in Osogbo under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase II (EU-SDGN II) programme.
He explained that the Fact-check Osun State Election coalition, an initiative of the Insight Initiative for Community and Social Development (IICSD), was established following previous capacity-building programmes organised by the IPC to strengthen journalists’ ability to verify election-related information and counter the spread of false narratives.
According to him, the coalition has been actively monitoring election-related claims, verifying viral content and equipping journalists with practical tools to identify, verify and debunk false information before it reaches the public.
Highlighting some of the coalition’s work, Yusuf said it investigated a claim attributed to the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, alleging that Governor Ademola Adeleke sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at the age of 64.
He said the coalition’s findings established that the claim was false after a thorough fact-checking process.
Yusuf also cited another verification involving a viral video of the APC governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, which circulated on social media earlier this year. He said the coalition investigated the video after it was widely shared with claims suggesting that Oyebamiji had endorsed Governor Ademola Adeleke and subsequently provided verified context to correct the misleading narrative.
He disclosed that the coalition intends to sustain its activities beyond the August 15 governorship election by monitoring election-related information, expanding fact-checking initiatives and tackling the spread of fake news across Osun State.
Yusuf urged journalists to make verification a routine part of their reporting, stressing that media practitioners have a duty to publish only accurate and verified information while avoiding the amplification of misleading content capable of undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
The session formed part of IPC’s ongoing efforts to strengthen media professionalism, promote issue-based reporting and enhance information integrity ahead of the forthcoming Osun State governorship election.
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