Politics
Rivers Assembly Reconvenes, Sept
One plenary session hallmarked activities at the Rivers State House of Assembly (RVHA) last week.
Of the 32-member legislature, only 14 lawmakers were present at the plenary where they resolved to commence their 2017 recess. This followed a motion to that effect by the House Chief Whip, Hon Evans Bipi, which was supported by the lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor Constituency II, Hon Michael Chinda.
Moving the motion, Hon Bipi explained the need for the House to embark on recess, saying that the House has met the statutory number of sittings for the year.
He said the vacation was to enable members retire to their various constituencies to brief their Constituents on government activities so far.
Supporting the motion, Hon Chinda said members needed the recess to re-energise and or out other pressing issues in their various constituencies.
Announcing the commencement of the recess, the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt Hon Ikuinyi –Owaji Ibani said the vacation was to commence just after the plenary and that members shall resume on September 21, 2017.
He said the decision was to give members enough time to refresh themselves for the remaining legislative assignments in the year.
He also said that the recess would also enable various House Committees to tidy up their assignments and prepare their reports for deliberations before the House resumes from the vacation.
The House finally resolved that members should go for break to resume work on September 21, 2017.
The Speaker had before the plenary announced his Appeal Court victory to the House.
Ibani, who thanked members of the House for their support and prayers during the period , said without the love and the understanding of the members, it would have been very stressful to combine the leadership assignment in the House with the matter at the tribunal.
Ibani, who commended the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike for standing firm by him, dedicated the victory to Andoni people whose mandate he noted have been confirmed by the tribunal.
The speaker reassured that he will never make empty promises to the people because the Wike administration was built on transparency and commitment to the development of the state.
The Speaker who also announced his 50th birthday by last Wednesday, August 23, 2017, said he gave God all the glory and adoration for spicing his birthday with the Appeal Court victory.
Also last Tuesday, the Speaker played host to members of the Assembly press corps who visited him in his office to congratulate him on his Appeal Court victory.
Speaking on behalf of press corps, Comrade Alwell Ene expressed joy over the Appeal Court judgement.
Ene prayed God to give him strength to pilot the affairs of the House to the glory of God and for the benefit of people of the state.
The Speaker, Rt Hon Ikunyi-Owaji Ibani thanked the press corps for their concern, reassuring that the Assembly will continue to work with journalists in the state to adequately inform the public on government policies and actions.
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.