Politics
…As Useni Vows To Win
Plateau State Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Senator representing Plateau South, Jeremiah Useni, has said that he would lead the party to victory in the state rerun election.
Useni dismissed rumours by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that he will not spend money for the re-run election, saying that he will spend the last he has to end APC leadership in the state.
The senator in a press statement through his Director General of Campaign Organisation, Prof Demis Mai-Lafia, urged voters to come out and vote massively for the PDP.
The governorship election result declared by the State Returning Officer, Professor Richard Anade, showed that the APC received a total vote count of 583,255, a little over the 538,326 votes that the PDP candidate got.
Useni noted that his attention was drawn to speculations which said: “I will not remove 10 kobo for any supplementary election. People lied to me and betrayed me. If they think I will win, let them vote me on their own. I am tired.”, JT Useni.
But Useni said: “I have read this text. It was even read to me. It doesn’t make sense. Or does it make sense to you? I have not complained to anybody. Why should I? It is my duty to lead the people of Plateau. I am resolved to do it. I am not complaining.
“I will, by the grace of the Almighty God, provide the funding, as he has done with many projects in the past since he came into the PDP family.”
Useni said he has never harboured any frustration with the geovernorship election beacuse he is optimistic that he will come out stronger and victorious during the supplementary poll.
He appreciated the people of Plateau for the massive support given him during the governorship poll and urged those in the affected areas to come out and consolidate on the victory of the party during the supplementary election.
“Plateau people have unanimously voted out the APC right from the local government elections of October 2018 to the presidential/National Assembly right to the governorship/House of Assembly elections of 2019. Their message has been persistent and consistent: Enough of APC.
“My disposition has always been that I will draw from the pool of the best that Plateau offers of human resources, I will give a level-playing ground for the youth, women and the physically challenged; there will be no favouritism or discrimination,” Senator Useni said.
He noted that his Restoration Agenda is firmly on ground and It will give confidence to Plateau people, and build a secure state.
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.