Date: 2017-03-14

The All Progress Congress (APC) is fully in support of the early release of the 2019 election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as a timely improvement on the electoral process.

Speaking at the 18th Media Parliament of the Kwara State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ilorin at the weekend, the national spokesperson of APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi who made the position of the party known, stressed that the release of election timetable two years earlier before the time is a signal that the commission is up to the task ahead.

Abdullahi who expressed the support of his party for INEC on the issue, described the development as a good innovation, adding that the commission is an independent body and was at liberty to choose when to hold election in line with the nation's constitution.

"Nothing is wrong with what INEC has done, the reasons many of us are a bit apprehensive is because we are not yet used to that kind of arrangement.

"How many of us know that Donald Trump has already filled his papers for a second term? We as a party are absolutely in support of it and don't forget that INEC is absolutely independent", he stated.

Speaking on the topic Democracy and the Challenges of Fake News, the former minister stressed that democracy is under threat by the publishers of fake news in the profession.

He therefore cautioned that Nigeria is currently facing problem considering the danger posed by publishers of fake news, adding that access to the internet has made it difficult to curb its dissemination.

"Fake news is pushing real news out of the space in the pen pushing profession and that means something urgent must be done to curb the menace.

"The use of social media by the public has no limit. Anyone can post any information without being traced, which poses threat to the duties of professional journalists "Information liberalisation that has strengthened democracy through the use of social media also contains the weapon through which democracy can commit suicide, if the distortion of genuine information passed to Nigerians continued unchecked. "If it is actually true that the spread of hate messages is a weapon of war then Nigeria is under attack, Nigeria is under siege", he submitted.

Chairman of the Kwara State Council of the NUJ, Comrade Biodun AbdulKareem in his remarks called on the ruling government to work hard to bring about the desired change that Nigerians voted for in 2011.

In his goodwill message the former Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State governor, Alhaji Mas'ud Adebimpe, described the APC spokesperson as a true ambassador of the journalism profession and commended the NUJ chairman for initiating the Parliament.

He reminded the party that Nigerians sacrificed a lot to bring it into power and were yearning to see the change in their lives.