By Tom Moses
The announcement of results of elections had for long been a persistent sore in the country. Election management bodies preoccupied with keeping their turfs had sought to constrain journalists and in some cases prescribed sanctions for journalists who cross the border in announcing election results.

The authorities had in the past sought to preserve the right of announcing results at the polling centres and the final results at the collation centres. It is a duty the electoral commission even under Prof. Attahiru Jega would want to preserve.

But given the admonition by some political parties, especially the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC to their supporters to monitor their votes and the evolution of different forms of technology, the monopoly of the commission to announce results is now under serious threat. GSM telephones, twitter, facebook and some other new communication platforms are now available to push results even before the final results are declared by INEC.

The Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Austin Okojie, himself a former broadcast journalist, frontally confronted the issue yesterday at the beginning of a two-day workshop on ‘Responsible Reporting of the 2015 Elections for Media Practitioners and Civil Society Organizations in Uyo. The workshop was organized by VIBRAM Nigeria Limited in conjunction with the Akwa-Ibom State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the INEC, Department of State Service (DSS), the Nigeria Police, Akwa-Ibom State Command and Civil Society Organizations.

Given the curiosity that is the currency of the media, Mr. Okojie announced a compromise on the issue.

According to him, presiding officers would announce the votes cast at polling units while wards Collation Officers would do same at the wards collation centre.

“The Local Government Area Collation Officer shall also announce the votes cast at the local government Collation Centre. At the constituency level, the Collation Officer collates the votes and returns the winner.

According to him, “it would be unlawful for any individual or group to announce results not declared by INEC or its officials,” as he urged his former colleagues to exercise patience as the responsible officials at the various levels announce the results.

“You must cross-check facts and report accurately. You must see objectivity as your watchword in all your reportage”, Okojie stressed.