Politics
Nigeria Challenged By Poor Leadership Choice – Obi
The Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has said that the country’s biggest challenge is basically that of poor choice of leadership.
He said this during the party’s rally in Calabar on Wednesday.
Obi, who was received by a large crowd of his supporters at the UJ Esuene Stadium, venue of the rally, earlier had a town hall meeting with the youths.
He thereafter paid a courtesy call on the Obong of Calabar, His Eminence, Ekpo Abasi-Otu V.
He said that he would not only secure and unite the country, but ensure that there would be law and order, if elected.
He said his government would ensure that universities in the country functioned effectively, devoid of incessant strikes.
Obi further spoke on his plan for the development of Cross River.
According to him, the state has cocoa that would be developed for export.
“We will also boost the tourism potential of the state because it is the tourism capital of Nigeria.
“We want to make Nigeria work. You can trust us.
“Don’t vote for people you cannot trust to turn around the nation,” the presidential hopeful said.
Also, a chieftain of the party, Prof. Pat Utomi, said a new Nigeria was possible but would start with Nigerians voting the right person in 2023.
Utomi said the country’s challenges had persisted because the people kept electing leaders that did not care for the citizens.
He also said that the story could be changed with the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and voting right.
The National Chairman of the party, Mr Julius Abure, also spoke in a similar vein.
Abure said that poor choices of leadership contributed largely to Nigeria’s development problems.
He therefore appealed to Nigerians to make the right choice in 2023 by voting for the party’s candidates at all levels.
Human Right Activist, Aisha Yusuf, said it was time for the electorate to vote the right persons into power. Yusuf said that 2023 election would determine the survival of the country and urged all Nigerians to be part of it.
“The polling unit is our new protest ground. “We will vote, wait to defend our votes and ensure that Obi and his running mate, Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed, are our leaders in 2023,” she said.
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.