Politics
PDP Govs Back Southern Counterparts On Resolutions
Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, have declared support for their southern counterparts in demanding for state police and the restructuring of the Nigerian federation.
The PDP governors who met at the International Institute For Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Monday, equally declared support for a ban on open grazing.
Recall that Governors of the 15 southern states met in Asaba, Delta State last week and made similar demands.
In a six-point communique issued after its meeting, the PDPGF, decried the worsening security situation in the country as well as the poor state of the economy.
Chairman of the PDPGF and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwual, signed and read the communique.
The communique read in part, “The meeting called on Mr. President as the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria and Commander in Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces to immediately send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly to amend the Nigerian Constitution to devolve more powers to the states with respect to security arrangements culminating in some form of state policing and the general security architecture.
“In the interim, Mr. President should summon an immediate meeting of the Nigerian Police Council, which comprises Mr. President and all state governors and other critical stakeholders to evolve and implement strategies to combat the present threats to our union, especially with respect to policing.
“The meeting agreed that the police force still remains the appropriate institution to secure our democracy and should not be subjected to personal attacks. The welfare, training, equipment, funding of all security agencies should be given priority.”
On the vexed issue of open grazing, the governors expressed support for “the earlier position taken by the Nigeria Governors Forum, Northern Governors Forum and recently, the Southern Governors Forum, to adopt ranching as the most viable solution to the herders / farmers clashes in Nigeria.”
According to the governors, restructuring the Nigerian federation in such a way as to devolve more powers and functions to the States as well as a reform of various civil institutions, would go a long way to promote efficiency and equity for all sections of Nigeria.
While appealing to all Nigerians to work together in order to take the nation out of its current predicament, the governors condemned what it described as the lackluster performance of the APC-led Federal Government.
Tambuwual said, “The meeting called on the incompetent and rudderless APC Government to take bold and deliberate steps to de-escalate and lower tensions in our country, and concentrate on projects and policies that will enhance and promote national unity and cohesion.”
The governors also re-iterated their earlier call on the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the Electoral Act that would ensure a free and fair election, including provisions for electronic accreditation and electronic transmission of votes.”
Governors who attended the meeting were Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto State), host, Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Douye Diri (Bayelsa) Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta).
Others included Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) Nyesom Wike (Rivers State) Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa State) and Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) while the Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, was represented by his Deputy, Mahdi Mohammed.
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.