JOURNALISTS from different media organisations gathered in Abuja on Thursday, February 23, for election monitoring and reporting training.

Connected Development (CODE), a non-profit focused on empowering marginalised communities, organised the training.

The training provided journalists with insight into monitoring and reporting elections from the situation room using advanced technological software.

CODE said it has partnered with USHAHIDI, an organisation that collates real-time geospatial data, to improve its election monitoring innovation across other countries.

To cover the 2023 election, CODE will also deploy its intelligence tool, Uzabe, to ensure smooth election processes.

The facilitator, Mukhtar Madibbo, urged journalists at the training to be “more concerned about the election processes rather that the results.”

Madibbo, CODE’s community engagement manager, said Uzabe is an open situation awareness room initiative.

He said,” Uzabe will provide real-time intelligence, mapping tools and witness report from CODE’s 20,000 field observers.

“Field observers will provide reports based on a categorisation of incidence, namely, ballot issues, polling station issues, security and Positive events.”

He noted that journalists in the situation room must review and verify reports before publishing to avoid misinforming the public.