*By Paul Ejime
At a time when Nigerians are demanding more transparent and acceptable methods of election results transmission, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman of Arise News Television/ThisDay Newspaper media group, has floated an African-built social media platform, LekeeLekee.com, to expand his business empire, cater to the needs of digitally underserved communities and at the same time, challenge media imperialism.
Africa’s estimated 1.4 billion people are largely consumers of media applications/platforms built mainly by the West and China.
“For too long, global platforms have been built far from our realities.
LekeeLekee is our answer – a platform that is fast, fair, and open, one that amplifies voices rather than extracting them,” Obaigbena, a journalist and media mogul, said in a statement on Monday, 16th February 2026.
The new platform derives from the African communal spirit of Ubuntu, “I am because you are.”
Lekeelekee or Cattle Egret, biologically known as “Bubulcus ibis,” is a white-plumed bird found globally across tropical, subtropical and warm-temperate regions, including Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.
The choice of name for the new media platform could not have been a sheer coincidence.
Prince Obaigbena, the Duke of Owa Kingdom in Nigeria’s Mid-western Delta state, explained that the “new social media space is also available as a Progressive Web App (PWA), which would enable seamless access across devices and connectivity levels.”
He described LekeeLekee as “a fast, cutting-edge social media platform and super app… engineered to function optimally in low-bandwidth environments, offering low-data, high-speed feeds alongside video sharing, instant messaging with voice notes and built-in content moderation tools.”
Lekeelekee also “represents a strategic response” to what Obaigbena called “the disconnect between global technology platforms and local realities,” adding that the platform “is positioned not merely as a social networking site but also a digital ecosystem designed to empower users, encourage authentic engagement, and foster inclusive online communities.”
According to him, Lekeelekee “enters the competitive social media space, leveraging (the Arise News/ThisDay) strong brand presence in broadcasting and print media, to build a homegrown digital alternative.”
Obaigbena urged users to “embrace the new platform… as an opportunity to participate in shaping a more equitable digital landscape.”
He also encouraged stakeholders to join in the organisation’s unfolding digital future vision.
The launch “marks a significant milestone in the media group’s ongoing innovation drive and underscores its ambition to redefine digital engagement from an African perspective,” the statement said.
Ahead of Nigeria’s crucial 2027 elections, the national debate about the level and quality of Internet connectivity in Africa’s most populous Black nation, with an estimated 240 million people, has reached a fever pitch.
The Nigerian Senate is in the eye of the storm, amid civil society and opposition-led street protests by Nigerians urging federal lawmakers to act against election rigging in the country, by passing a law for real-time electronic transmission of election results.
With its simple community-friendly features, Lekeelekee platform is accessible via iOS, Android and Web links, and could not have come at a better time, that is, if the Nigerian legislature is willing to revolutionise the country’s controversial and divisive electoral system.
A game-changing digital opportunity is up for the taking!
*Ejime is a Global Affairs Analyst and Consultant on Peace & Security and Governance Communications*