Politics
Zoning Arrangement May Suffer Setback In Abia
The existing zoning arrangement in Abia Central Senatorial zone may be altered if the Peoples Democratic Party accedes to the request by Senator Nkechi Nwaogu for a second term.
At the dawn of the current democratic dispensation, the Umuahia and Ngwa political blocks which make up the zone adopted a rotation formula which saw the blocs alternating the senatorial position after one tenure.
In 1999, the Ngwa bloc took the first slot by producing Senator Bob Nwanunu on the platform of the All Peoples Party.(now All Nigeria Peoples Party) In 2003, Umuahia took its chance and produced Senator Chris Adighije through the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while the pendulum swung back again to Ngwa bloc in 2007 with incumbent Senator Nkechi Nwaogu clinching the seat also on the platform of PDP.In 2011, it will be the turn of Uumahia bloc.
However, during her recent accountability forum, Senator Nwaogu requested to be allowed a second term, arguing that she has an “uncompleted assignment.”
The Senator, who is the first Abia woman senator, while presenting her scorecard of three years of representation at the apex chamber of the national Assembly, said that she has preformed well to deserve another tenure.
Her score card include award of scholarships to 60 undergraduates under her scholarship scheme, training of 210 persons in various skill acquisition programmes, disbursing of N6million of the N30 million micro credit interest-free loan scheme and attracting numerous water projects and building and rehabilitation of classroom blocks across the senatorial zone.
Chairman of the occasion, Chief Allen Nwachukwu, noted with satisfaction the effective representation by Senator Nwaogu and her accountability to her constituents. Nwachukwu was Nwaogu’s main challenger during the party primaries in 2007.
He said that by showing her score card to the electorate, Senator Nwaogu has done what none of her predecessors from Abia Central was able to do, adding that it has portrayed her as political office holder accountable to the electorate that gave her mandate.
Chairman of Abia PDP, Sir Ndidi Okereke, who led the party to grace the event, said that members of the party’s State Working Committee (SWC), were proud of Senator Nwaogu, given her performance in the Senate.
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.