Politics
Dickson Preaches Peace At PDP Congressa
Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, has charged the newly-elected chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Sagbama Local Government Area, Mr. Oyinkuro Bekeowei, to promote unity and better understanding among members of the party.
Governor Dickson gave the charge in Sagbama town, headquarters of Sagbama Local Government Area while speaking at the local government congress of the party.
Hon. Dickson, who noted that great pains had been taken to lay the foundation of a new PDP by building bridges of unity, urged the new chairman to consolidate upon this foundation by bringing everybody in the party together.
“We are building a new PDP by laying blocks of unity. The party umbrella is big enough for everybody. We made efforts to bring back all those who left the party in annoyance and today they are back to the PDP fold. So, you have a duty to promote unity and better understanding among members within and outside the local government area by bringing everybody together”, the Governor emphasised.
Governor Dickson used the opportunity to express gratitude to the people of his native Sagbama Local Government Area for electing him twice to the House of Representatives as well as working assiduously to ensure his emergence as governor.
While urging them to maintain their peaceful disposition and steadfast support for the party, Governor Dickson assured that he would leave no stone unturned in his bid to tackle the developmental challenges confronting Sagbama and the state in general.
In his acceptance speech, winner of the chairmanship position of the party, Mr. Oyinkuro Bekeowei thanked party faithfuls for their show of love and support.
Bekeowei promised to respect constituted authorities of the party at all times, adding that he would not betray the confidence reposed in him.
Governor Dickson later inspected the International Model School in Sagbama as well as a building that used to house the Local Government Service Commission.
The Governor also inspected the site of the devastation caused by coastal erosion that has washed away part of the road in Mile 3 area of Sagbama town.
According to the Governor, the disused Local Government Service Commission building could be immediately renovated and used for the take-off of the proposed Teachers’ Training Institute, Sagbama.
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.