Politics
Anambra Mocks Uba Over Campaign Flag-Off
Anambra State Government has accused the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Andy Uba, of playing politics with the current state of security in the state.
Uba had less than 24 hours to the planned flag-off of his campaign in Onitsha called it off, attributing it to the current state of security, insisting that it was in honour of Dr. Chike Akunyili, who was recently killed by unknown gunmen.
But the Anambra State Government in a statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C. Don Adinuba, stated that Uba rather suspended his campaign flag-off, billed to hold last Saturday, because he received signal that President Buhari was unwilling to attend.
Adinuba said there was no truth in the press release by the APC that the campaign was suspended in honour of Dr. Chike Akunyili, saying the suspension by Uba would be the third time, since President Muhammadu Buhari refused to attend, and that Uba was frustrated because there are no signs that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would attend either.
The release reads: “No society plays politics with its security without severe consequences. This is all the more so in a country like Nigeria which is now going through its most difficult security challenges in decades.
“It beats the imagination that the Anambra State branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) should insist in the last three weeks on playing politics with the current security situation in Anambra State in particular and the South East in general, though there is a greater security crisis in some other parts of Nigeria.
“Anytime violence or murder is reported, as Anambra prepares to conduct a gubernatorial election on November 6, the APC in Anambra State points a finger in the direction of the state government. It does all this as part of the electioneering campaign strategy.”
Adinuba said pointing fingers at Anambra State government amounts to indicting President Muhammadu Buhari, as he controls the security agencies in the country.
“President Buhari, not Governor Willie Obiano, is the Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces and head of all security agencies in the country. Security is on the exclusive list of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
“Each of the 36 state governors in the federation is merely the titular chief security officer of his state. No governor has control over the police force or the Department of State Security or the Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) in his state, let alone any of the armed forces. Even the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG) is supervised by the state police command, like any other state vigilante service.
“The people and government of Anambra State are convinced that the state APC is indicting President Buhari deliberately over security lapses.
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.