Politics
Restructuring: Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Blast Presidency
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, has condemned the statement made by Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, against some individuals demanding that the country should be restructured.
The statement issued by Yinka Odumakin, Chief Guy Ikokwu, Senator Bassey Henshaw and Isuwa Dogo from South West, South-East, South South and Middle Belt, respectively, said the forum would not succumb to the Presidency’s narrow idea but would insist on restructuring the country.
The SMBLF said that Garba Shehu is sounding like the spokesman of Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt as he dismissed the recurring agitations as unpatriotic outbursts.
Garba Shehu had warned that such unpatriotic outbursts are unhelpful and unwarranted as this government will not succumb to threats and take any decision out of pressure at a time when the nation’s full attention is needed to deal with the security challenges facing it at a time of the COVID – 19 health crisis.
The SMBLF accused the regime of the President Muhammadu Buhari of talking down on Nigerians in very intemperate language.
The statement titled, “Stop Playing Pharaoh” noted that they are perturbed that instead of giving assurances about rebuilding the country towards inclusivity, the regime is talking down on Nigerians in very intemperate language.
The statement explained that the regime cannot cow Nigerians by using cantonment approach to national issues, insisting, “We will not accept turning us to second class citizens on our land, not even with threats of arrests or assassinations.”
It explained that they cannot be clapping for the government when the Customs appoints eight Deputy Comptrollers from a section of the country.
“Are we expected to be saying well done when DSS recruits 535 cadets from North West and North East and only 93 from the entire South and North Central?,” the statement asked.
It said that the presidency should know that those calling for restructuring are more patriotic than those running Nigeria towards implosion, adding, “Patriotism is to corporate Nigeria for all and not the sectional idea of Nigeria by the nepotists.”
The statement noted that it would not succumb to the Presidency’s narrow idea of Nigeria, but is “fully assured that this too shall come to pass.”
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.