Only EC can declare Dec. 7 poll results – NMC warns media against premature announcements

The Chairperson of the National Media Commission (NMC), Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, has urged media outlets to uphold their responsibility and avoid overstepping into the role of the Electoral Commission (EC) in announcing presidential election results.

Addressing media practitioners at the “Media Forum on Election 2024,” held by the Ashanti Regional Media Advisory Committee in Kumasi on Tuesday, 5 November 2024, Mr. Ayeboafo highlighted the critical importance of respecting the EC’s authority as the sole body mandated to declare final results.

“We want to affirm that it is only the Electoral Commission that can declare results,” he stated, underscoring the constitutional framework that makes the EC Chairperson the sole returning officer for presidential elections.

He further advised media outlets to avoid rushing to announce premature results, a move he believes could create confusion and raise tensions.

“When it happens like that and there is a delay, it is better that we wait rather than rush and publish what we will find out so as not to be validated, and put everybody in danger,” he cautioned.

Reflecting on the aftermath of the 2020 elections, Mr. Ayeboafo expressed concerns about how premature announcements from political parties and the media created tension.

“Until the political parties started their press conferences, claiming that we have won or this one has won, there was peace in this country. But the moment that this person said I have won and vice versa, tension arose,” he noted.

“We in the media have an obligation when political tension rises so high. We must bring it down by the way we approach issues, by the language that we use and by the individuals that we invite to speak on our platforms.”

The forum, which aimed to sensitize journalists on key election issues, also emphasised combatting misinformation, fake news, and hate speech in the lead-up to December’s polls.

Mr. Ayeboafo advised journalists to make verification a priority before broadcasting or publishing results.

With Election 2024 approaching, he called on the media to support peaceful and transparent elections by responsibly managing their role as reporters, not influencers, of official election outcomes.