Politics
SDP,NNPP Ready For Polls
The Social Democratic Party
(SDP) and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) said they are ready for the completion of the suspended legislative elections in Rivers State if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be sincere to conduct the polls as directed by the National Assembly.
The leadership of the two political parties spoke with The Tide separately in Port Harcourt, and said the electoral body had failed the people severally in the bid to conduct the elections in the state.
The Chairmen of the SDP and NNPP, Engr Joshual Worlu and Deacon Princewill Enyi expressed disappointment over the situation, stressing that their House of Assembly members have over spent their earnings for the elections.
The party chairmen regretted that the inability for the INEC to conduct the suspended polls in Rivers State have caused the state greatly, adding that the state has remained without representatives in the National Assembly.
According to them.’’ We expected INEC to have called us,the stakeholders after the August 12th meeting,but till date, they are yet to make any move and most of our candidates are worried over the situation.’’
‘’After the last meeting, we started another round of campaigns trying to reach our weak and strong local government areas,but we were disappointed when we got to September, there was no sign from the INEC for the election,’’ he said.
The political parties noted that INEC not keeping to their promises to conduct and conclude the suspended polls in the state has caused the state greatly.
They however commended the National Assembly for giving INEC five weeks to conduct the suspended polls in Rivers and Anambra states, adding that this will make them keep to their promises.
It would be recalled that INEC in August 12th,2016 announced that the conclusion of the Rivers legislative polls would be held in middle of October. They had previously announced June and July before the October but nothing had been done to that effect.
The commission had argued that till peace return to the state, it would not conduct further elections in the state. This was as a result of violence and killings of some ad hoc staff of the commission in the last election.
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.