Politics
APC Has Failed Nigerians – Wike
Activities to mark the Golden Jubilee Anniversary took the front burner in Government House last week. However, it was the Thanksgiving Service to commemorate the elevation of the Abonnema monarch in Abonnema that opened the week.
At the thanksgiving service, held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Cathedral, Abonnema in Akuku-Toru Local Governmnet Area, Chief Wike acknowledged that, the Kalabari people gave him support and expressed appreciation to them.
As a way of reciprocating their gesture, he said the administration has decided to site projects that will touch the lives of the people. The projects include, the rehabilitation of the Abonnema General Hospital and the Abonnema Ring Road.
The Governor said, the Zonal Hospital at Degema will soon be completed alongside the rehabilitation of the Abonnema General Hospital, and promised that government will help expand the landmass of Kalabari area through reclamation.
Last Monday, the governor played host to the National President of Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Mike Ogirima.
Chief Wike, at the courtesy call disclosed plans by the State Government to build a modern Specialist Hospital for the State. He said the new specialist Hospital will specialize in the treatment of cancer, kidney, heart and liver disease.
On plans to revive Braithwaite Memorial Hospital (BMSH), the governor noted that, the State Government has released four million dollars out of 6 million to re-equip the hospital to modern standard.
Last Tuesday, the governor through his deputy governor, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo flagged-off the 50th Anniversary Free Medical Programme. The exercise was done in conjunction with the Rivers Foundation, USA in Port Harcourt.
According to the governor, the state for first time has given – interest free loans to private medical practitioners as a way of equipping their hospital to standard. He said the administration is not only building projects, but building human capital, especially in the health sector stressing that the complete turnaround of the BMSH would not only help train medical man power but the Rivers State in general.
On the same Tuesday, the governor was at Elele in Ikwerre Local Government Area to flagg off construction of the Elele-Alimini-Internal road. He said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has – failed Nigerians , “Enough is enough for the lying and deception of the APC you can see the difference between light and darkness”.
He said the people of Rivers State has no business being in APC as the party has shown by its actions that it will not execute projects in the state.
Speaking at Oyigbo Local Government Area last Wednesday, the governor condemned the use of soldiers as security aides to politicians.
He regretted that in Nigeria, the authorities have made it a practice to allocate soldiers to politicians.
Last Tuesday, after the official commencing of work at old Aba Road/’Mban Camp) at Oyigbo, Chief Wike played host to former President Jonathan, who was in the state to unveil the newly reconstructed Nkpogu Bridge, Phase II.
Former President Jonathan praised Governor Wike for transforming Rivers State. He said Wike has surpassed expectation and therefore he has no regrets for supporting him to be a governor.
The governor last Friday, unveiled the new Federal High Court Complex. The new building aimed at providing more court rooms and comfort for the Federal High Court was inaugurated by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta.
After unveiling the Federal High Court Complex, the governor was represented at the Golden Jubilee Youth Day, by his deputy, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo.
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.