Politics
Focus On Restructuring Nigeria -Iwuanyanwu
The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has asked President Bola Tinubu to focus on creating a true federal constitution and restructuring of Nigeria.
Chief Iwuanyanwu made this appeal during a live television interview on Wednesday.
According to him, the peace committee he set up was intended to clear up the misunderstandings and curb the alleged unfair treatments that other Nigerian tribes show towards Igbo people.
On the need for a federal constitution, Chief Iwuanyanwu said, “ We had a true federal constitution in 1960,1963, and that worked for us.
“Later on, they changed to military constitution which is not right. Now, that is why we in Igbo land, we are saying, please, let us have a true federal constitution. What we are operating today is a unitary government. It doesn’t work with a people who have diverse backgrounds.
“I believe that the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu should take steps to see if we can actualise this restructuring of Nigeria. Without a proper restructuring, Nigeria will continue to have problem, there is no way this country can survive. Today, everybody is talking about presidency. In a restructured Nigeria, the presidency will not attract so much attention as it does today”.
Speaking on alleged animosity displayed towards Igbos, Chief Iwuanyanwu said since the last general elections, there had been unfair treatments towards Igbos.
He said, “Suddenly after the elections, Igbo buildings were being demolished in various places with excuses. I have investigated the demolitions in Lagos with example, and it is very clear to me that some of them didn’t follow the process of law of any civilised society.”
On the peace committee that has been set up to clear the prejudice between the Ndigbo and the rest of Nigerians, he said, “We’re going to produce our own story about the events in Nigeria from 1966. We’re going to produce a book which we are going to keep in Nigeria for posterity, to know the position of Igbos.
“Because today, a young Northerner, for example, will think Igbos hate Northerners by killing two great leaders from the North; it’s not true. But when we put our story, this community will put up a story, it will be clear.”
According to Chief Iwuanyanwu, the committee is also set to contact the leaders of other ethnic groups to find out their misgivings and fallouts with Ndigbo, so that peace can be brokered between the Igbos and the ethnic groups in Nigeria if there were any problems.
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.