Politics
2023: PDP Chieftain Carpets AYCF President Over Comment
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has expressed displeasure over the statement credited to the National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Mr Yerima Shettima, on the North retaining Nigeria’s presidency come 2023.
Addressing journalists last Friday in Kano, Onuesoke observed that Shettima recently granted an interview to journalists warning political leaders in the southern part of the country to stop canvassing rotation of power to the region at the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term in 2023, adding that it is the North’s turn to produce Buhari’s successor.
Onuesoke warned Shettima and his Arewa group to stand aloof over the issue of who becomes Nigeria’s next president, stressing that he has no political right to tell Nigerians on where the next president of Nigeria will come from.
While describing Shettima as someone who is ignorant of Nigeria’s political history and looking for cheap publicity, he cautioned him to desist from further making such political statements, adding that such utterances are tantamount to inviting disunity and violence to the peaceful co-existence of the country.
“Nigerians will not accept such a threat from Yerima Shettima. As far as Nigerians are concerned, he is a political jobber seeking for attention, and he won’t get it. He is not one of the Northern political elites. There are reasonable and responsible elites in the country who can speak on this matter, not Shettima,” he explained.
Onuesoke argued that following the undocumented zoning principle which is also responsible for the actualization of the Buhari presidency, it is the turn of the South to occupy the Aso Villa seat come 2023.
The former Delta State governorship aspirant added that the southern part of the country supported the election of President Buhari and should be rewarded with the 2023 presidency for their support.
Onuesoke described Shettima’s claim that they have the population to sway the Presidency to the North as inappropriate, adding that he should not forget so soon that Northern presidential candidates contested against former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan and they failed woefully.
He equally recalled that even President Muhammadu Buhari contested thrice and he failed, not until he was produced by the ‘gentleman’ zoning arrangement.
“To me, I’m not an advocate of the rotational presidency but an advocate of good governance no matter where the president comes from. The Northern population which Shettima is relying on is fraudulent.
“I have a friend, who is a pilot. He has flown the length and breadth of Nigeria. The guy is at a loss as to where the 90million are hiding in the Northern part of Nigeria. He cannot understand the mystery.
“It is this kind of unresolved mystery and fraud, which has continued to fuel the agitation of progressive folks for a total overhaul and restructuring of Nigeria, which the North is viciously resisting.
“We cannot continue in this lies without resolving it. It is offensive, insulting and annoying for you to continue to throw a false and bogus population figure at my face. A figure that does not show at all in the bottom line, a figure that adds no much value to the commonwealth. Enough is Enough,” Onuesoke stated.
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.