Politics
Anambra Guber Poll: Group Endorses Senator Ubah
A pressure group, South-East Concern Group (SECG) has endorsed Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah in the forthcoming governorship election in the state, saying the senator would take the state to greater heights if elected governor.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos recently, SECG National Coordinator, Mazi Paul Eze, said Senator Ubah has all it takes to bring about development in Anambra State. According to him, “ it is indeed politically wise to invest in a leader whose attributes are well known, a man who understands and embodies the core values and aspiration of his people.”
He noted that the group’s support for Senator Ubah was premised on the outcome of an in-depth survey conducted by the group recently on the capability, capacity and popularity, amongst others, of the long lists of those seeking to contest in the forthcoming 2021 governorship election in Anambra State.
“When we looked at the long list of aspirants seeking for the governorship seat in Anambra State, our group immediately embarked on an in-depth study and research to ascertain the capability, capacity, popularity and antecedents, amongst other parameters, of these candidates. Interestingly, after a long and exhaustive search, Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah came tops above other candidates, hence the decision of our group to strongly and sincerely endorse, support and campaign for his overwhelming victory at the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State,” he said.
Speaking further, the leader of SECG stated that given the passion and vision the senator has for the people, he was fully confident that Ubah would bring visible and people oriented socio-economic and infrastructure development across all parts of the state, including fixing the problems facing the society. Eze further disclosed that there will be a public presentation of a book in honour of Senator Ubah, titled: “Let us reshape the future”.
According to him, “in partnership with Civic Research Publishers International, our organisation will be unveiling, ‘Let us reshape the future’, a book in honour of Senator Ubah.”
Throwing more light on this, the group’s Project Director, Barr. Chudi Nweke, noted that the book was a gesture to encourage creative, innovative and people oriented leadership aimed at uplifting the standard of living of the citizenry, as well as boosting socio-economic and infrastructure development across the state.
He noted that,” the book is a measure of our modest and devoted support in his bid to become the executive governor of Anambra State come 2021.”
Nweke counseled the people of Anambra that the yardstick for the choice of the governor of the state should be based on practical and physical antecedents of the candidate, and not theories, noting: “The choice must be the one who has the magic wand, capacity and capability to make things work. Distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Ubah is a business icon, a sports enthusiast and promoter, as well as a renowned philanthropist, who is roundly positioned to take Anambra State, and its teeming citizenry to greater heights.”
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.