Politics
PDP Reps Score Buhari Low
The minority caucus in the House of Representatives has congratulated Nigerians for crossing into a New Year, urging them to face 2021 with greater optimism and faith despite the sour experiences of the last year.
The caucus noted the “vigour and intensity” of its legislative activities in 2020, while pledging to intensify all statutory activities especially, legislative oversight, to ensure prompt execution of projects that have direct bearing on the welfare of the people.
This is just as the Peoples Democratic Party caucus in the House criticised the regime led by the President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party, APC, for mismanaging the affairs of the country.
The minority caucus, in a New Year message issued by the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, charged government at all tiers to give more attention to youth development, education, health care, food security programmes, economic empowerment through job creation and support for hard-working entrepreneurs.
In a separate statement by the leader of the PDP caucus, Kingsley Chinda, titled, ‘We Must Remain Resilient and Patriotic,’ the opposition lawmakers said, “Our situation in Nigeria was further worsened by a poor and dwindling economy, now in the worst recession ever, and several incidents of kidnappings, killings and general insecurity across the county, occasioned by an inept, visionless, clueless and failed leadership of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government.”
Meanwhile, former South-West Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Eddy Olafeso has asked for an end to all divisions within the party in the region.
The former Information Commissioner in Ondo State who stated this in his new year message signed by his Media Aide, Wande T. Ajayi in Akure, the state capital, lamented that the nation was sliding into its worst recession in 30 years.
“Our Party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), remains strong and better whilst a need to ensure unity amongst our people remains a priority. “
“Unity is critical in our resolve for future victories in coming elections. We have had enough of the wranglings amongst us and it will only endanger our chances in future elections.
“We must close ranks now. I beg all to sheathe swords and charge toward a common course.”
Olafeso also asked the nation to take lessons from the previous year, 2020.
“The previous year was filled with all sorts of surprises. From a pandemic, the deadly COVID-19, that ravaged the whole world to a protest that shook the core fibre of this country, the #EndSARS protests.
“We may have learnt our lessons never to see anything impossible and that our youths have resolved to seek a better future for themselves.
“The year, surely, has taught us so many lessons and I urge us to keep living safely while we hope for an end to the pandemic,” he said.
“I encourage our governments to make the empowerment of our youths their topmost priority.
“Our future is in their hands and we must strive to do all to keep it safe”, he said.
However, Olafeso also charged the Federal Government to do all within its might to take the country out of recession.
“Our country slides into its worst recession in 30 years and though the future looks bleak with the current crop of leaders at the helm, we can, however, hope on God for a better future while we pray our leaders to take extraordinary measures to take us out of this absolute poverty we have found ourselves as a nation.”
Olafeso said, “ In all, I pray that this year shall usher in blessings, joy, hope and peace to all in this country, Nigeria, the South West Zone, my dear Ondo State and my Party, the PDP.”
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.