Politics
Why Tonye Harry Shouldn’t Seek Re-election- Harry
Against speculations that the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry will seek for another tenure in the Assembly, a People Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart in Degema Local Government Area of the state, Mr. Sunny Marshall Harry, has advised the Speaker to go for higher elective positions in the National Assembly rather than seek re-election at the state Assembly.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, Mr. Sunny Marshall Harry argued that after three successive outing at the Assembly, Tonye Harry should think of something higher in the next election.
Tonye Harry, The Tide reliably gathered has been in the Assembly for the past 12 years of three tenures ending next year. Out of the 12 years, Harry served as Deputy Speaker for eight years (two terms) and Speaker for four years ending next year.
The PDP stalwart, who is also the son of the slain pioneer state chairman of the party, Dr. Marshall Harry said that the people of Obuama in Degema local government area have resolved to have a shot at the chairmanship of Degema instead of the legislative position being occupied by Tonye Harry in the House.
He said time has come for Obuama to call the shot at Degema council, regretting that for long period, Obuama community has been neglected in the scheme of things.
According to him, the House of Assembly position has been zoned to Bakana and Tombia axis of the area while Obuama produce the next council chairman.
Sunny Marshall Harry, who declared his intention to vie for the chairmanship position of the local government area however assured that he would give a better deal to the area if given the mandate at the polls.
He pledged to create employment opportunities for the youths to enable them live meaningful life even as he promised the provision of infrastructure in communities in Degema.
Other planned welfare package for the people include the introduction of scholarship scheme for indigenes of the area and windows empowerment scheme.
He commended the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for his developmental strides in the state and assured him of maximum support.
The Commission disclosed the figure in its weekly update for week 14 of the second phase of the exercise, which ended on Friday, April 17, 2026.
According to the breakdown, 2,259,288 Nigerians completed their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 1,489,416 finalized their registration physically at designated centres nationwide.
INEC noted that the figures remain preliminary and are subject to further verification and data cleaning processes to ensure accuracy ahead of the consolidation of the national voter register.
With the conclusion of the registration phase, the Commission has now shifted focus to the display of the Register of Voters for Claims and Objections, a statutory stage aimed at strengthening the credibility and integrity of the voters register.
The display exercise is scheduled to hold from April 29 to May 5, 2026, across designated centres nationwide, providing citizens the opportunity to verify their details and raise objections where necessary.
The Commission urged all registered voters from the concluded phase to take advantage of the exercise to confirm the accuracy of their information and assist in identifying ineligible entries, including duplicate registrations, deceased persons, and non-citizens.
INEC explained that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise is being conducted in phases, with the first phase running from August 18 to December 10, 2025, while the second phase commenced on January 5, 2026 and ended on April 17, 2026.
The Commission further stated that the date for the commencement of the third phase will be announced in due course.
Reaffirming its commitment to credible elections, INEC stressed that maintaining a clean and accurate voter register remains central to ensuring free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, informed the journalists that the dialogue was sponsored by the European Union, under the auspices of the EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 4: Support to Media.
According to the veteran media practitioner, the programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the media to promote credible elections through factual, accurate and fair reporting.
He explained that the programme is part of a broader five-year intervention designed to support democratic governance and improve the role of the media in Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing that fact-checking and inclusive reporting are critical responsibilities for journalists, especially during electioneering.
He described the media as a central role agent with regard to upholding transparency and accountability in the democratic process.
A resource person and Director of Journalism Clinic, Lagos, Mr Taiwo Obe, enjoined journalists to embrace the evolving technology so that they would not be in the backwaters in the practice of the profession.
He advised journalists not to downplay Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their bid to remain relevant in the media environment by being abreast of the changing patterns of news consumption.
The journalism teacher explained that with digital transformation of the media industry, it had become imperative for journalists to constantly upgrade and update their skills, stressing the fundamental place of attitude and self-development and underscored the dynamic nature of media consumption in the digital age, thereby compelling journalists to embrace tools and platforms, but without much reliance on AI.
In his lecture, a Professor of Mass Communication at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Adebola Aderibigbe, advised journalists in Ekiti State to ensure that coverage of the upcoming governorship poll is issue-based rather than dwelling on personalities.
He added that sensationalism should not occupy the front-burner of any discussions concerning the 2026 election, admonishing that sustenance of democracy is anchored on responsible journalism.
”Journalists must prioritise accuracy, fairness and balance in their reports by verifying facts and giving all parties involved in political matters the opportunity to present their views”, he said.
According to the university don, the election will not be defined by personalities, but by issues. ”Let issues be the pivotal ring upon which every discussion should be made. Sensationalisation of issues should not be the bedrock of discussions in the 2026 election”, he added.
“Do not hear from Party A without hearing from Party B, otherwise the report will be skewed to one side and once issues of elections are skewed, problems will naturally arise”, he stressed.