Politics
‘NASS, Other Parliaments Most Misunderstood Govt Organ’
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said the national assembly and legislatures in other parts of the world are the most misunderstood organ of government.
Gbajabiamila made this known in Abuja on Monday at the opening of a two-day capacity-building workshop for the media committee.
He noted that the committee plays a major role in the activities of the house as it is the intermediary between the lawmakers and the public.
He added that that committee’s work goes a long way in shaping the perception that the public has of the House and correcting any misinformation that is in the public sphere.
The speaker said, “I took time out to actually look at the dictionary definition of media. If you look at that definition you will understand the importance and critical roles the house of representatives has to play in defining or reframing the narrative of the house of representatives, in giving direction to the legislature, in propelling policies of government and indeed, that is why many of you who practise in this field of endeavour, the institution is referred to as a 4th Estate of the Realm.
“The house of representatives or the national assembly in general, like every legislature in the world, is perhaps the most misunderstood institution in the world. Some of that misunderstanding is unintentional, based simply on lack of knowledge; some of that misunderstanding is intentional and sometimes it is political.
“Some of that misunderstanding, unfortunately, is pure ignorance and lack of interest in finding out the truth.
“It, therefore, falls on the media committee to begin to educate the public and change the much-needed narrative because we are not aware of the unforeseen consequences of what will happen when a small committee or an institution such as the national assembly is misunderstood or misjudged. It has the possibility of snowballing into a larger and more dangerous effect on our democracy.”
The speaker, therefore, said the committee should not be looked at from a narrow prism but as a committee “that is so strategic to the survival of our democracy; not the survival of the national assembly but the survival of democracy.”
Gbajabiamila also said, “Before I continue with my speech; it has been mentioned already but it is worth mentioning again; I want to note that the Vanguard Newspaper reporter in the House of Representatives, Tordue Salem, who has been missing for some weeks now, is yet to be found.
“I and indeed the house have been in contact with the leadership of the press corps since the matter came to light. I want to encourage the security agencies not to relent in their efforts to locate Tordue and bring him back to his family. Anything that forces one, torches on all of us.”
Chairman of the Committee, Benjamin Kalu, in his address, noted that the 21st Century media environment is dynamic and continues to develop in novel, sometimes in unanticipated ways that have serious consequences for democratic governance.
Kalu added that the new media has radically altered the way that government institutions operate, and the way that political leaders communicate and engage citizens.
He said, “The media today disseminates a tremendous amount of political content, most of which are trivial, unreliable and polarising. The media’s watchdog role, hitherto performed by trained journalists and gatekeepers such as established mass media institutions, has evolved in the face of technological innovation.
“Today, every actor with a smartphone is able to disseminate information and frame political issues in their various spheres of influence. The press has been decentralised, with oftentimes destructive outcomes. But such is the price that we must pay for the beauty that is democracy and the exchange that we must uphold for freedom of speech- the inalienable right of every Nigerian.”
However, Kalu said, “The 9th House of Representatives continues to stand for freedom of speech, recognise the value of the fourth estate of the realm to our democracy, especially in times like this, and remains committed to protecting free speech and independence of the media and its journalists.”
Prof. Amupitan gave the warning on Saturday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the South-South Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement organised ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said insecurity remained a potential challenge to the electoral process but stressed that the Commission would not allow threats against its personnel to undermine its constitutional responsibilities.
“Insecurity may pose a challenge, but our collective constitutional resolve is far stronger. Let me again send a clear message from Port Harcourt: anyone who attempts to threaten, intimidate, or harm our ad-hoc staff, NYSC members, or permanent personnel will be brought to justice under the full weight of the law,” he said.
The INEC Chairman, who was accompanied by National Commissioners, directors and technical aides, disclosed that the South-South engagement was the fifth in a series of zonal assessments, following similar exercises in the South-West, North-West, South-East and North-East.
He explained that his physical presence across the geopolitical zones reflected the Commission’s field-first approach, emphasising that electoral integrity must be established through effective operations at the grassroots.
According to him, the assessment would cover operational preparedness across the 123 Local Government Areas in the six South-South states.
On election security, Prof. Amupitan said INEC had moved away from reactive security arrangements traditionally activated around election day to a proactive, intelligence-driven framework known as the “ICCES Tentacle”.
He explained that the framework was designed to extend inter-agency security coordination from national and state headquarters to local government areas and Registration Area Centres, including remote communities.
He identified three critical pillars of the framework as mapping and mitigating security threats, protecting electoral personnel and infrastructure, and guaranteeing safe access to polling units.
The INEC boss said the security arrangement would provide comprehensive protection for electoral personnel, technological infrastructure, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and server infrastructure, as well as voters.
He added that the framework was intended to ensure that every polling unit, irrespective of its geographical location or history of security challenges, remained safe and accessible for the exercise of democratic rights.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the South-South security architecture comprised approximately 60 major operational formations, headquarters and state commands operating under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
The network, he said, brings together military, naval, air, police and other security and intelligence agencies across the six states.
“Together, this integrated multi-agency network represents the operational backbone that guarantees intelligence-led protection across every riverine creek, coastal axis, and land-based polling unit in the Niger Delta,” he stated.
Providing an overview of the region’s electoral significance, the INEC Chairman said the South-South had the fourth-largest voting bloc in the country, with 15,823,550 registered voters, representing 15.30 per cent of the national register.
Rivers State alone, he said, accounts for 3,736,434 registered voters spread across the 23 local government areas.
Alhaji Abubakar made the demand following revelations that some INEC registration officers allegedly abused their access to the voter registration system to introduce irregular records into the database.
In a statement issued by his Director of Strategic Communications, Mr Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president described the development as a serious breach of the Commission’s internal safeguards and raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
He urged INEC to identify the officials implicated in the alleged misconduct and explain what disciplinary or legal measures had been taken against them.
Alhaji Abubakar also called for an independent forensic audit of the preliminary voters’ register to establish the scale of the alleged manipulation, identify affected records and determine how the questionable entries were introduced into the system.
He further insisted that INEC preserve all relevant voter records, image files, system access logs and electronic audit trails to prevent the destruction or alteration of evidence before an independent examination could be conducted.
The former vice-president also demanded that the Commission disclose the identities of companies contracted to produce sensitive election materials ahead of the 2027 polls, arguing that transparency was essential to building public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, had earlier disclosed during a television interview that some registration officers across the country allegedly used their official login credentials to introduce irregularities into the voters’ database.
Dr Bayode explained that the Commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System helped identify questionable records and establish how some irregularities entered the system.
He, however, clarified that not all suspicious photographs were AI-generated, as some resulted from poor registration procedures.
The development followed public concerns over suspected AI-generated photographs, alleged duplicate entries and other inconsistencies discovered in the preliminary voters’ register published online on October 26, 2026.
INEC has maintained that the published document is a preliminary register and that it is reviewing questionable records ahead of the certification of the final Register of Voters.
The controversy has intensified calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of the voters’ register as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 general elections.
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