Politics
PDP Tasks Nigerians On Democracy
The National Vice Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South-South, Mr Emmanuel Ogidi, has urged Nigerians to join force with the party to defend the principles of democracy in the country.
Ogidi made the call in Abuja while reacting to the alleged Police brutality on Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose.
The police were said to have on Wednesday interrupted a rally organised by the PDP ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state, and shot guns and teargas canisters to disperse the crowd.
Policemen were said to have attacked the governor in the process, leading to injuries on him.
Ogidi referred to the actions of the police against innocent Nigerians in Ekiti as “gangster-like”, and urged leaders to watch the examples they leave for younger generations.
According to him, we must all do everything possible to defend democracy and should not stand-by and watch it desecrated.
“I want to say and assure you that by the grace of God, we are going to defend this democracy, because our children will not be happy with us as it is in our time that all these things are happening.
“It cannot stand; we are going to follow anything political to resolve this; we are ready and they may have to jail or kill all of us.
“We are going to defend democracy; we know nothing good comes easy and we are ready for it,” he said.
Ogidi said that in a state where election was expected to hold two days away, shutting down the Government House by the Police was despicable.
He explained that Nigeria practiced federal system of government and that the state’s Government House represented the Aso Rock in Abuja.
According to the vice chairman, the state government house is the symbol of the federal government in the state; once it is threatened then democracy is threatened.
He called on all governors irrespective of party affiliation, to protest against the actions of the police against Gov. Fayose as it could happen to any of them.
According to him, this implies that governors are no longer the Chief Security Officers of their states, if Fayose could be treated that way.
Ogidi said that the actions of the police in Ekiti justified the calls for State Police to ensure security of lives and property.
He blamed the All Progressive Congress (APC)-led Federal Government for destroying democracy in the country.
He alleged that the police officers were only carrying out the directives from high commands.
The PDP chieftain said that government officials must imbibe the tenets of democracy, citing former President Goodluck Jonathan as a perfect example.
“If you ride a tiger, the tiger will hunt you; if the APC is comfortable with what is happening, it will hunt them,” he added.
He urged Nigerians to be very careful when choosing a leader for the continuous growth of democracy in the country.
Ogidi said that his pride as a Nigerian was diminishing as a result of the trauma and humiliations in the country.
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.