Ondo guber poll: CDD unleashes “soldiers of mouth” to track political disinformation

As the governorship election takes place tomorrow in Ondo State, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), on Friday said it has deployed 14 ‘soldiers of mouth’, who will help in addressing information disorder incidents and corroborate fact-checks in order to monitor the ways that parties, politicians and even members of the public engage in disinformation.

Adele Jinadu, Chair, of CDD Election Analysis Centre, who spoke at a press conference in Akure said the CDD-West Africa will effectively monitor the Ondo election, closely observing the pre-election atmosphere as well as election day activities to evaluate adherence to national and international standards.

According to him, through impartial, timely reporting, CDD-West Africa aims to promote transparency and support an election outcome that genuinely reflects the will of the people.

CDD-West Africa, however, said efforts must be carried out to reverse the growing trend of citizens not wanting to engage with the democratic process.

Jinadu said; “CDD-West Africa also urges all political actors to eschew divisive and inciting tendencies capable of undermining peace before, during and after the election.

“As Nigerians in Ondo State go to the polls tomorrow, we urge all institutions connected to the electoral process, such as INEC and security agencies, to ensure that they are impartial and conduct a free, fair and credible process.

“To ensure disinformation, information manipulation, and all forms of computational propaganda do not undermine the participation of historically marginalised groups.

“CDD-EAC calls on fact-checking organisations to strengthen collaboration to achieve better results in countering
disinformation. We have carried out extensive fact checks, under a project that has been well supported through the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

“To combat gendered disinformation and its debilitating effects on the participation of women, the CDD-EAC calls for initiatives, which directly counter misogynistic narratives targeting women in politics.

This can include social media campaigns, public service announcements, and fact-checking reports that emphasise the contributions of women in leadership.

“The CDD-EAC also urges the implementation of voter education programs that challenge patriarchal norms, empower women in politics, and ensure that both men and women are protected from gendered disinformation.”