Politics
New SIM Support Group Inaugurates State Officials
A Political Pressure Group with a formidable support base for the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, under the aegis of “ Supreme Council For Sim, (Worldwide) has been inaugurated in the state
The group has also appointed a former Commissioner in the state, Hon Lolo Ibieneye, as its Chairman; former Chairman, Eleme Local Government Area, ,Amb. Ngofa Oji, as its Co- Chairman while Dr. Steward Felicia was appointed at Administrative Officer.
Inaugurating the State officials of Supreme Council for Sim, last weekend in Port Harcourt, the convener, Mr Fubara Joshua, said the primary reason for the formation of the group was to canvas support for Governor Fubara across the 23 LGAs of the state
Mr Joshua hinted that, as a result of the enormity of the task at hand, some eminent personalities where carefully selected across the state to man and navigate the affairs of the body to success, noting that officers of the group at the 23 LGAS of the state will also be constituted to galvanise support for Governor Fubara at the grassroots.
He said that the Supreme Council for Sim, under the leadership of Hon. Ibieneye, pioneer PDP member and Amb Ngofa, the group was set in the right direction, considering their wealth of experience
He said that the group would showcase the ideologies of Governor Fubara.
”We thank God that we have been able to inaugurate seasoned politicians and credible men and women who will run the affairs of the body .
“They now have the mandate to tell Rivers people about the good plans of the governor for his people across the 23 LGAs
“There’s the adage that ‘evil triumph when the good ones do nothing’. It is time good people speak up about genuine intention of the governor.
“Civil servants are promoted, arreas paid, 100 thousand Naira Christmas gift given, human capital development and infrastructure are some of the milestones of Governor Fubara within short period”, he said.
In his maiden speech, the Chairman, Supreme Council for Sim (Worldwide), Hon. Lolo Ibieneye, urged Rivers people to support Governor Fubara because he means well for everyone
Hon. Ibieneye said, one of the founding members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, said love remains one of the cardinal principles of the group
The former Commissioner under Dr Peter Odili regime noted that the group had the mandate to galvanise support and stand for Governor Fubara
“Sim means well for Rivers State. There is need to show love to everyone. No need to fight, rather galvanise support for Sim. Don’t allow anyone make you angry. Make sure no one is left out in this movement. We need to work together, believing the movement will become successful as the siege is over”, he said.
Similarly, the Co- Chairman, Amb. Ngofa, said it was worthwhile seeing various groups springing up to support Governor Fubara in the face of distractions
Amb. Ngofa, former Nigeria’s ambassador to the Netherlands, stressed that various groups coming up to declare support for Governor Fubara demonstrates love and political consciousness of the people.
He described the governor as a liberator of his people who where in an atmosphere of dictatorship
Amb. Ngofa hinted that the vision of the governor to properly develop Rivers State through the instrumentality of human capital development naturally attracts support of well meaning people of Rivers State
He assured the people that governor Fubara would give everyone a sense of belonging, unite Rivers State, ensure a sense of inclusion and pursue collective development for the benefit of everyone.
Amb. Ngofa said the group will complement other groups to articulate and realign for the interest of Rivers people, stressing that Governor Fubara is a complete departure from former Governor Nyesom Wike’ s lack of imagination on governance and administration.
On her part, the Admin Officer, Dr Felicia Stewart, assured that women will give the group necessary support to achieve desired objectives.
Dr Stewart said women were ready to show support and solidarity, believing that the governor has good plans for them.
She urged Rivers women to pray and throw their weight behind Governor Fubara through some formidable groups like the Supreme Council for Sim.
By: Taneh Beemene
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.
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