Politics
Nwodo Advises FG On Democracy
Former National Chairman of the defunct Progressive Action Congress, Chief Charles Nwodo, has called on the Federal Government to strengthen the nation’s democracy for rapid socio-political and economic development.
Nwodo told newsmen recently in Abuja that good governance was an essential ingredient in democracy.
According to him, the beginning of free and fair elections is the hallmark of good governance.
He noted that without free, fair and transparent elections, everything about governance would be a mirage.
He warned politicians to desist from using thugs during elections because they always constituted security threats at the end of the day to the country and democracy itself.
He said that to have good governance, there must be strong institutions, especially the judicial system where punishments for those who broke the law would serve as deterrent to others.
“This is a country where we have up to 90 per cent inmates awaiting trial and only insignificant numbers have been tried.
“Some have been forgotten, some have spent years nobody talks about them and they are not taken to court or tried.
“This idea of stock-piling cases is not healthy enough where democracy is practiced because it portends danger in future.
Nwodo said that some people did not commit offences to warrant them to be kept in prison for too long while others who committed serious offences were allowed to go free.
He also advocated a review of the country’s justice system to make them more effective and efficient. “We believe that through political will the government can revisit the strengthening of the institutions, review our laws and make punishment quicker and direct.
Nwodo called on the Federal Government to ensure regular training of judicial workers and to partner foreign bodies that had succeeded in strengthening their nation’s laws.
He expressed optimism that if corruption was tackled head-long, it would go a long way in making the nation’s democracy work.
The former chairman called on government to carry out massive campaign on value re-orientation to re-orientate people on the importance of values to humanity.
He also called on the government to pay priority attention to maternal mortality to reduce the scourge.
Nwodo urged the Federal Government to empower women and create more job opportunities for the teeming population, especially youths to avoid restiveness.
He urged leaders to see themselves as servants of the people and not to be served and to make sure that whatever they did was in tandem with the laws of the land.
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.
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