Politics
Lagos Assembly Reverses Ex-Dep Gov’s Impeachment
The Lagos State House of
Assembly at plenary Thursday invalidated the impeachment of former Deputy Governor of the state, Hon. Femi Pedro.
This resolution followed the adoption of the recommendation of the eight member Ad Hoc Committee constituted on July 2, to review the circumstances that led to impeachment of Pedro.
The House, which passed a vote of confidence on Pedro, said that the allegations of his impeachment were not connected to criminal charges.
The committee, headed by the Majority Leader, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, in its report said:
“In line with Rule 51 (6) of the Business, Rules and Standing Orders of the Lagos State House of Assembly, the committee recommends that this House should by a substantive motion review the impeachment passed on Otunba Femi Pedro on Thursday May 10, 2007 by the 5th Assembly.
“Pardon him and pass a vote of confidence on him as a fit and proper person that can be entrusted with political and administrative responsibilities.”
36 members of the House were in support of the pardon while only one lawmaker voted against it and another abstained.
It will be recalled that Pedro was impeached towards the end the tenure of Bola Tinubu as Governor for gross misconducts on May 10, 2007.
The ex-deputy governor had urged the House to revisit his impeachment in a letter sent to the 8th Assembly on compassionate ground.
In his contribution, Hon. Rotimi Olowo, the Chairman House Committee on Budget and Economic Planning, urged the Assembly to reverse the impeachment for the ex-deputy governor to live a normal life.
Olowo said that Pedro has shown remorse and needed to be forgiven.
He said, “ to err is human, to forgive is divine. Pedro has shown much remorse and obedience, let’s pardon him to have his sanity back. Pedro has passed through much psychological trauma.”
He said the purpose of the impeachment then was not based on fraud or criminal tendencies.
Hon. Segun Olulade, the Chairman, House Committee on Health commended the adhoc committee for the recommendation to revert the impeachment.
Olulade also commended Pedro for withdrawing court cases challenging his removal to allow the Assembly wade into the matter.
According to the lawmaker, Pedro should be forgiven and be allowed to further contribute to the society.
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.