Politics
‘PDP Ready For 2019 Polls’
Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Adams Dabotorudima (left), congratulating Hon Samuel Ogeh after his wearing-in as a member of 8th Assembly last Thursday, following his victory at the 19th March rerun election in Rivers State. Photo: Chris Monyanaga
The out-going Chairman of
Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Capt. Tunji Shelle (rtd) has said that the party has started preparations for the 2019 polls.
He said the future of the party is bright, urging members not to despair over its defeat in last year’s elections.
Shelle, whose tenure expires next month, exuded confidence about the PDP’s prospects, saying that the foundation for a virile future has been laid.
He spoke at the stakeholders’ meeting of the party held at its secretariat, GRA, Ikeja. The meeting was attended by the party leader, Chief Bode George, former Works Minister Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, chairmanship aspirants; Hon. Goke Savaldor and Adegbola Dominic; Mr. Jimi Agbaje, Muiz Dosunmu, Uthman Shodipe, Ola Apena and Gani Taofeek. However, members of the Obanikoro group shunned the meeting, underscoring the lack of reconciliation between the two camps in the chapter.
Noting that the PDP has started preparations for 2019, Shelle said the congresses and the national convention will lay the foundation for a prosperous future. He said: “The congresses will be free, fair and transparent and all stakeholders will be carried along.”
The deputy chairman, Apena, who unfolded the guidelines for the congress, said although zoning is critical to the convention, it has not been resolved by the PDP national leadership.
He said contestants for the various party offices will have to support their intention with the payment of nomination fees.
Apena stressed: “The party has prescribed N1,800 for aspirants at the ward, local government and state levels. Ward chairmanship aspirants will pay N1,000; deputy chairman N500, Secretary N500 and other offices N200. For local government chairmanship, aspirants will pay N5,000; secretary N3,000 and other N2,000. State chairmanship aspirants will pay M50,000, deputy chairman M20,000 and secretary N30,000. National Vice Chairman N1,000, members of the zonal executive N3,000, others N15,000. Aspirants for the national chairman N1m and secretary N500,000.”
The secretary said the party will adopt the consensus formula for picking the officers, if the wards and local governments are in agreement.
Urging party faithful to gird their loins, Apena added: “One national delegate each will be elected at the local government level. There will be twenty national delegates, in addition to the statutory delegates. I urge you to shun violence during the congress. Don’t allow anybody to intimidate you.”
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.