Fake news may jeopardise 2023 elections, FG warns

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FEDERAL Government has raised the alarm over what it called “increasing resort to fake news and disinformation by a section of the media,” warning that this portends a serious threat to success of the 2023 general elections.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this, yesterday, during the fourth media briefing series to highlight achievements of the President

Muhammadu Buhari administration, from 2015 to 2023. The minister noted that fake news and disinformation constitute a major threat to the polls, besides thuggery, insecurity, vote buying and attacks on facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC).

He said: “In recent times, we have all witnessed how a letter, purportedly from INEC, was used to cast aspersions on the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC).

“Shortly after that, the death of an innocent man was turned to a political tool to further attack the same APC candidate. Of course, there have been other cases similar to the two I have just enumerated. This is a dangerous development, which must be nipped in the bud.”

The minister warned that if opposition parties suddenly realise they are unable to match the ruling party in a free and fair election and resort to fake news and disinformation, “the media should not allow itself to be used for that nefarious purpose.”

He said since the launch of a national campaign against fake news, disinformation and hate speech in 2018, the ruling party’s strategy has been the use of persuasion and enlightenment rather than coercion.