Politics
Wike Appoints New Perm Secretaries
After concluding his defence at the on-going Rivers State Elections Tribunal last Tuesday, Governor Nyesom Wike returned to the state to attend to pressing state matters.
But before Governor Wike returned, his deputy Dr. Ipalibo harry-Banigo had represented him in some State functions. For instance on Monday, the governor through his deputy, played host to the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern naval Command, Rear Admiral Atiku Abdulkadir in Government House.
The governor reiterated the resolve of the government to support the Navy in culminating all forms of crimes on the seas, and to also check the menace of oil bunkering.
In the words of the governor, “we went to build investors – confidence. Rivers State Government is creating a secured and favourable environment for investment and development”.
Rear Admiral Abdulkadir in his remark, called on government and the general public to assist officers and men of the Navy with useful information that will help them in combating crime and ensure safety of the people.
On the same Monday, the deputy governor represented the governor at the World Teachers Day celebrations with the theme, “Empowering teachers, Building Sustainable Societies”.
The governor through his deputy directed the State Civil Service Commission to release backlog of promotion and entitlements of teachers. He described teachers as critical elements in the enhancement of society, noting that the present government is a “Teacher friendly” administration”.
On Wednesday the Justice George Omereji-led Judicial Panel of Inquiry into sales of state owned Assets submitted its report to Governor Wike in Government House. The panel was set up in June to investigate among other things, the sales of the four gas power turbines at Omoku, Eleme, Afam and trans-Amadi.
Justice Omereji disclosed that in the course of carrying out its duty, the panel received 27 memoranda, admitted 142 exhibits and entertained 25 witnesses, adding that, “if you go through the reports, Rivers people will be better for it. I hope that the government would act fast to recover billions that are still stashed in private accounts”.
The State Executive Council meeting held on Thursday to deliberate on solve state matters, shortly after, the Special Advises to the governor on Media/Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah in a press statement, announced the dissolution of the 22 Local Government Caretaker Committees. He directed the Chairmen and the Committees to handover to the Head of Local Government Administration immediately.
On the same Thursday, wife of the State Governor, Justice Suzette Wike, attended the Medical Women Association Pioneer Lay celebration where she urged women in the state to always pay attention to their body and have a self examination of their breast always.
Earlier on Friday, the State Governor announced the confirmation of Sir Dagogo Abere as the Substantive Accountant-general of the State.
On the same Friday, the governor swore-in six new Permanent Secretaries. In his charge, Governor Wike reminded them that their nomination was based on merit and warned them to ashew all forms of corrupt practices and politics.
Shortly after, the State Executive Council, briefed newsmen on the White Paper of Justice Omereji panel as it hinted plans to commence prosecution of all those form culpable. Governor Wike also played host to political parties under the aegis of inter-party Advisory –Council.
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.