Politics
PDP Ready For Victory In Osun, Says Jegede
Two term Ondo State candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Eyitayo Jegede, has expressed confidence that the party will emerge victorious in the upcoming Osun State governorship election, following the truce brokered among party stakeholders in the state.
Jegede spoke while presenting an interim report of the reconciliation committee set up by the PDP National Working Committee to reconcile feuding party members in Lagos and Osun States.
He said, “We were there with members our colleagues who are here today because what we are submitting today is an interim report.
“We concentrated for now on Osun because of the election that is coming by the grace of God on the 16th of this month. And we’re quite hopeful with what we have seen because we were there.
“We interacted with contending factions that are there and we believe that working together will guarantee us victory.
“I can tell you that the people of Osun are waiting. And they are quite anxious about this. Expecting that come 16,17 of July will ursher in a new PDP administration in the state by the grace of God.
“What we’re able to do is to bring the parties together, and we’re able to bring them all around the roundtable. We spoke to all the stakeholders, we spoke to all the groups, we harmonise positions that will should, we’re able to at that point.”
“We are hopeful that the two parties have agreed that they were going to work together for the interest of the PDP, we were also able to extract commitments from all the sides, that the only way to achieve success is if we have a united front. “
Jegede urged the party leadership to ensure a proper follow up in order for the party to achieve the desired result.
In response, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagun, expressed gratitude to the panel while promising that the NWC would play its part in ensuring that the party comes out victorious.
He said, “On behalf of the NWC, I want to sincerely thankyou for a speedy response to our request”.
“The assignment was really one of the best we can say in terms of reconciliation. And less than six to seven weeks the assignment was given, and to be sincern, we have seen your handiwork.
“The moment you were inaugurated, you hit the road, it has yielded fruits greatly, and we are sure of victory.
“However, we want to enjoin you, even there was no election in Lagos, the part of your assignment is for Osun and Lagos.
“ I want you to take this opportunity, just like in Osun, to hit the ground in Lagos, because even Lagos too, you have ample time to go to Lagos and make sure what you did in Osun will repeat the same. This your report will go all long way, not only in Osun but also in other states.”
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.