Politics
PDP Tasks APC On Peace
Barely 24 hours after the All Progressives Congress (APC) accepted the olive branch extended to opposition political parties in Rivers State by Governor Nyesom Wike, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), has called on the former to be sincere with its position.
Describing the position of the APC as a welcome development, the PDP said it would be a thing of joy if the main opposition party in the state join hands with the Governor to improve security in the state.
The State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Darlington Orji stated this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, the State capital on Monday.
Orji said that Governor wike is determine to work with different political parties and anyone with useful ideas and how peace can be restored in the State.
According to Orji: ‘’Now that the All Progressive congress has come out, if their position is very sincere, together we can build a better Rivers State. So for us, anything that will make our State remain peaceful for investors to come in and bring development that is where we remain and that is the vow the governor of Rivers State has taken to make sure that Rivers resources will be used for Rivers people.
“Today, I have no doubt that the press conference that was carried out by APC must be on notice. So for me, it is a welcome development and we are also using this opportunity as a political party to call on the minister of transportation to please work together with the governor of Rivers State.
“Bring up your ideas so that together, we can better the lives of our people, together we can fight crime and criminality, together we can stop this killings that is all over the State,” the State PDP spokesman stated.
He further said that to achieve a high level of security in Rives State, the security agencies will need to distance themselves from the political activities in the State.
“Peace is going to be achieved when all the security agencies distance themselves from the political activities in Rivers State and understand that their primary objective is to protect lives and property so that when you arrest criminals in the act nobody will go for their bail because the shocking thing is that, you will arrest criminals in the morning, in the evening you see working in and the stories have been who is responsible for their release.
“So, now that everybody has agreed for peace it means that there will be no hiding place for criminals in the State. The need to take to their heels because if you commit crime, you go in for it and nobody will come for your bail,” Orji said.
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.