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Tag: YIAGA

  • Kogi election results validate our reports, say YIAGA

    Kogi election results validate our reports, say YIAGA

    A civil society organisation, YIAGA Africa said the results of the Saturday governorship election in Kogi state corroborated its reports drawn from 278 of 286 (97.2%) sampled polling units during the poll.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Sunday, November 12, declared Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the highly contested election.

    YIAGA Africa, which deployed observers and the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology to observe the election, said the outcome of the poll reflected what transpired at the polling units.

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    The group made this known during the presentation of its Process and Results Verification Statement on the November 2023 Off-Cycle Governorship Elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States on Monday, November 13, in Abuja.

    On Kogi state result verification, YIAGA Africa said: “Based on reports from 278 of 286 (97.2%) sampled polling units, Yiaga Africa’s statistical analysis shows that the All Progressives Congress (APC) should receive between 47.0% and 59.0% of the vote, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should receive between 4.8% and 7.4% and Social Democratic Party (SDP) should receive between 31% and 42.4% of the vote. No other political party should receive more than 1.2% of the vote.

    “INEC’s turnout and rejected ballots for the 21 LGAs as announced are consistent with Yiaga Africa WTV PRVT estimates. Yiaga Africa’s turnout estimate is between 34. 4% and 43.6% (39.0% ± 4.6%) while INEC’s official turnout is 40%.

    “Similarly, Yiaga Africa estimates rejected ballots are between 0.9% and 1.5% (1.2% + 0.3%) while INEC’s official rejected ballots number is 1.45%.

    “Official results for the 2023 Kogi state governorship election are consistent with Yiaga Africa’s WTV estimate (specifically, it falls within Yiaga Africa’s WTV estimated range). Had the official results been changed at the ward, LGA, or state collation centres, the official results would not have fallen within the Yiaga Africa WTV estimated ranges.”

  • ‘Revoke Buratai’s entry visa for election violence’

    A political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Timi Frank, has asked the United State of America, United Kingdom and the European Union (EU), to honour their promises and impose visa ban on the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai and others for the involvement of the military in the just concluded general elections.

    Frank, in a petition dated 19th March, 2019 but made available to newsmen in Abuja reminded the international community of his earlier warning about “the impending danger in the plot by the APC led government to use the military and other security apparatus to rig the 2019 general elections and to perpetrate violence which is likely to lead to the killing of innocent electorates.

    “He reminded that of their promises to impose travel ban on anyone involved in electoral violence saying this was the time to fulfill such promises.

    He said “I hereby use this medium to implore you and your good offices to ensure that justice is done. In the circumstances, I enjoin you to carry out your promise of the denial, revocation and ban of visas for all the principal actors, including the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai and his cohorts and politicians who may be complacent in the said dastardly act.

    “The petition titled “The illegal use of the military to perpetrate violence and to disrupt electoral processes in Nigeria: a call for action” reads in party “You may recall that shortly before the 2019 General presidential, National Assembly and governorship elections in Nigeria, I wrote to your good offices to alert you on the impending danger in the plot by the APC led government to use the military and other security apparatus to rig the 2019 general elections and to perpetrate violence which is likely to lead to the killing of innocent electorates.

    “Most predictably, that was exactly what played out in the just  concluded 2019 General  elections in some states in Nigeria where the Nigerian Army deployed military operatives to carry out nefarious activities during the elections in favour of the ruling party even when our  Courts in Nigeria  have long  before 2019 general elections held that the military shall not be deployed anywhere in Nigeria under any guise to monitor elections which is purely a civil exercise of one’s civic right and responsibility.

    “In trying to dent and taint my public image, the Nigeria military under the leadership of General Tukur Buratai, labeled me as a propagandist of fake news in print and social media a few days ago to disparage my hard earned reputation in the eye of the general Public.

    READ ALSO: INEC ordered supplementary election unnecessary, says Timi Frank

    “However, it is worthy of note that I have been vindicated by several reports released by different groups that monitored the elections.

    “For instance, The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Nigeria faulted the intimidation of voters and election observers by security agents especially in the governorship and House of Assembly Elections. The EU EOM further condemned the violence and intimidation against the citizens and election observers by the military and security agents, including the EU observers who were denied access to collation centers especially in Rivers.

    “Another report worthy of note is that of The Joint report by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republic Institute (IRI) released on the 9th of March, 2019 as regards the governorship elections where it condemned the heavy military presence in some parts of the country. It was stated that incidents of violence and disruptions to the balloting process were observed in Lagos, Benue, Nasarawa and Rivers state. The mission further frowned at the impunity with which some electoral actors conducted themselves, including some polling agents and members of the military.

    “The executive director of Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) also alleged that military chased observers and some party agents out of the collation centers in some states.

    “INEC on its parts just released a report on the Rivers State of Nigeria governorship elections where the said INEC categorically accused the Nigeria military of being complacent with regards to the unprofessional role they played in the conduct of the said general elections. It was stated that soldiers and armed gangs invaded collation centers to disrupt the collation process in order to thwart the Will of the people which they rightly did.”

  • UK, US-backed observer YIAGA validates Buhari’s victory

    UK, US-backed observer YIAGA validates Buhari’s victory

    A civil society organisation, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) on Wednesday validated the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as winner of Saturday’s presidential election.

    It said the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were consistent with the findings of its observers as part of its Watching the Vote (WTV) project.

    YIAGA Africa has as its technical partners the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the US-based National Democratic Institute.

    It deployed the parallel vote tabulation (PVT), described a gold standard citizen observation methodology that employs statistics and information communication technologies.

    Its estimates were based on observations from 3,030 observers deployed in pairs to a random statistical sample of 1,515 polling units.

    YIAGA Africa said INEC’s official results fell within its estimated ranges.

    It, therefore, urged the public, political parties and candidates to have confidence in the ballots cast at the polling units.

    The group said in its post-election statement: “Based on reports from 1,491 or 98.4 per cent of sampled polling units, YIAGA Africa’s findings show that for the presidential election, the All Progressive Congress (APC) should receive between 50.0 per cent and 55.8 per cent of the vote; and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should receive between 41.2 per cent and 47.0 per cent of the vote.

    “These figures are consistent with the official results as announced by INEC. For both APC and PDP the official results fall within the PVT estimated ranges.”

    YIAGA Africa’s WTV chair Dr. Hussaini Abdu added: “YIAGA Africa urges Nigerian voters, political parties, candidates and international stakeholders to have confidence in the just-concluded electoral process and the officially announced results.”

    The civil society group called on INEC to provide clarity around two issues which it said were of pressing concern to the Nigerians although they did not affect the overall outcome of the elections.

    “First, the overall, percentage of cancelled ballots announced by INEC was 3.3 per cent of all registered voters.

    “This figure was four times higher than the rate from 2015 when registered voters in cancelled polling units were less than 1 per cent of all registered votes.

    “Second, YIAGA Africa noted discrepancies between the number of registered voters announced prior to the election and the numbers announced during collation and called on INEC to provide an in-depth explanation, including of whether these differences indicated that collation did not conclude in all parts of the country.

    “However, YIAGA Africa noted that the PVT data, which projected its estimated vote shares on the basis of the numbers announced at the polling units before any cancelation of results could take place, showed that neither of these issues impacted the outcome of the election,” it said.

    The group, in the statement issued by its Communication Officer Moshood Isah, urged all political parties, candidates and Nigerians to show political maturity and maintain peace in the post-election period.

    It pleaded with losing candidates and parties to adhere to legal provisions for filing electoral claims and disputes.

    “YIAGA Africa noted that the challenges experienced during the elections call for a detailed and systematic post-election review to include an inquiry into the cancellation of ballots, an audit of the voter register and a review of the elections operation management systems,” the group said.

    YIAGA Africa is a nonpartisan and independent civil society organisation without affiliation to any political party, candidate or state agency.

    “YIAGA Africa carries out research, capacity development and policy advocacy. YIAGA AFRICA has been involved in election observation since 2007 and it is one of the leading organisations working on elections in Nigeria,” the group said.

  • There’ll be no run-off UK, US-backed observer YIAGA predicts

    There’ll be no run-off UK, US-backed observer YIAGA predicts

    A civil society organisation, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement ( YIAGA ) Africa, has said there will be no run-off in the presidential election, adding that a clear winner will emerge.

    In a statement on Monday on voter turnout and results, the group, which undertook the Watching The Vote (WTV) project, said no candidate will receive over 55 per cent of the votes.

    YIAGA Africa has as its technical partners the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the US-based National Democratic Institute.

    It deployed 3,906 observers throughout the country including 3,030 Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) observers deployed in pairs to a random, representative statistical sample of 1,515 polling units where they remained throughout the day.

    “With this methodology, YIAGA Africa is able independently verify the accuracy of the official presidential election results announced by INEC,” the group said.

    In the statement by WTV Working Group Chair Dr. Hussaini Abdu and YIAGA Africa Executive Director Samson Itodo, YIAGA added: “Although YIAGA Africa currently has a stable estimated range for the election outcome, it is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that has the mandate to announce results.

    “However, based on currently received observer reports, there will be no run-off for the Presidential elections because a clear winner will emerge. YIAGA AFRICA’s PVT shows that no candidate will receive more than 55 per cent of the vote share.”

    YIAGA Africa said preliminary estimates indicate that turnout for Saturday’s presidential elections should be between 36 per cent and 40 per cent based on official turnout figures collected from the PVT’s representative statistical sample of polling units across the 774 LGAs in the country.

    “If INEC’s official turnout falls within WTV’s estimated range then it accurately reflects the ballots cast at polling units.

    “Only INEC has the legal mandate to announce the election results and return a candidate as a winner.”

    The group added: “We urge all stakeholders to respect the commission’s constitutional power and refrain from declaring election results. YIAGA Africa enjoins citizens to remain calm and maintain the peace as INEC collates the results.

    “YIAGA Africa continues to monitor the results collation until the final completion.

    “As soon as INEC announces the official results, YIAGA Africa will convene a press conference to share its own statement on the accuracy of the election results.”

  • UK, US-backed monitor YIAGA to deploy 3,906 observers

    The Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) Africa will deploy 3,906 observers on Saturday to observe the presidential and National Assembly elections.

    It said it would have mobile and stationary observers in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and state collation centres.

    YIAGA has as its technical partners the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the US-based National Democratic Institute.

    YIAGA Africa, in a briefing, said it would conduct parallel vote tabulation (PVT) – the gold standard observation methodology which it said has been utilised throughout Africa and the world.

    Its Communication Officer Moshood Isah said: “This deployment will enable YIAGA Africa to provide the most timely and accurate information on the opening of polls; the conduct of accreditation and voting; and the counting, announcement and posting of results throughout the country.

    “Based on reports from its observers in 1,515 sampled polling units, YIAGA Africa will also provide an independent projection of voter turnout and will be able to project the vote shares that each party should receive within a narrow range.

    “If the official results fall within YIAGA Africa’s estimated ranges, then the public, political parties and candidates should have confidence in the ballots cast at the polling units. Only INEC, however, has the legal mandate to announce the election results.”

    YIAGA Africa Watching the Vote Chair Dr. Hussaini Abdu explain added: “YIAGA Africa’s observers, who have all been carefully selected and extensively trained in accordance with strict criteria to ensure their independence and neutrality, are properly accredited with INEC and have signed a project Code of Conduct to uphold standards of impartiality, objectivity and professionalism.

    “YIAGA Africa observes on behalf of all Nigerian people and speaks in their name on the basis of verified data.”

    The group will share a mid-day situational statement on the opening of polls, a preliminary statement on the conduct of the 16 February election process and will hold a final press conference to share its statement on the accuracy of the election results announced by INEC.

    “YIAGA Africa PVT findings are from a statistical sample of polling units located in all 774 LGAs that is truly representative of the entire country and therefore provide unbiased information on the overall conduct of the presidential election and the accuracy of the results.

    “YIAGA AFRICA is a strictly nonpartisan and independent civil society organisation without affiliation to any political party, candidate or state agency.

     

  • YIAGA, APC, others react to outcome of Ekiti poll

    YIAGA, APC, others react to outcome of Ekiti poll

    An international civil society organisation, Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), Africa, the All Progressives Congress (APC)  in Ekiti,  as well as other stakeholders on Sunday expressed divergent opinions on the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election which produced Dr Kayode Fayemi as winner.

    The Nation reports that Fayemi of the APC won the election after securing 197,459 votes, beating  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, who got 178,121.

    YIAGA said in Ado-Ekiti at a press conference  that accreditation, voting and counting generally complied with extant regulations.

    The Executive Director of  the organisation, Mr Samson Itodo, however, commended INEC on the timely opening of the poll with essential materials present as well as prompt  announcement of results.

    He also urged Fayemi and APC supporters to be magnanimous  in victory

    “ For those candidates who did not win, we urge them to accept the results because they reflect the votes cast.

    “ YIAGA Africa calls upon all the candidates, all parties and all Nigerians to show political maturity and to maintain the peace,’’ he said.

    The APC in the state also described the party’s victory as “ well-won and much deserved.’’

    In a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti, the Chairman of the party, Chief Jide Awe, thanked electorate for the massive turnout and  “ voting conscientiously for the party.’’

    The chairman also  thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and other party leaders for their support in winning the governorship election.

    He, however,  called for calm and appealed to the opposition parties and their candidates to accept defeat in good faith.

    “ The APC thanks the Ekiti electorate for voting for the party in the keenly-contested election.

    “ The Ekiti electorate have voted for the candidate of their choice  who they consider as having a proven track record of performance and integrity, and who will bring about the kind of turnaround the state needs at this crucial period,’’ he said.

    He gave an assurance  that the governor-elect would  be magnanimous in victory  and deliver on the expectations of the people.

    Mrs Bolanle Olatunde, a former Special Assistant on Diaspora to former Gov.  Segun Oni congratulated the governor-elect and urged  him to put the welfare of the people at the heart of his programmes.

    She also said Nigerians must learn lessons from the outcome of the elections, especially on the need for “ anyone saddled with the position of authority to  do the right thing at the right time.’’

    “Even though, there might be claims of inducement here and there, some things I have learnt especially in Ekiti is that as incumbent, you should  do the right thing  in terms of discharging your duties.

    ” While people still talk about stomach infrastructure and all that, this can only be sustained if your performance as governor is good and you don’t waste public funds on irrelevant projects.

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    “Most importantly, be humble, because when you are humble, you will be promoted. In these areas, rural people see and appreciate their governor interacting with the common man, but at the same time these people still go to the same market your wife goes to.

    ” You should set up SMEs, community development initiatives  and sustainable development projects that will bring true governance to the people,’’ she said.

    The police in the state also said the election was successfully concluded without reports of violence.

    The spokesman of the police in the state, Ikechukwu Caleb, told our reporter that the election was peaceful and orderly, adding that no arrest was made during the exercise.

    The  police had  deployed 30,000 operatives, two helicopters and 250 patrol vehicles, including  Armoured Personnel Carriers, for the  election.

    The security operation for the poll was supervised by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Operations, Joshiak Habila, assisted by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, four Commissioners of Police, eight Deputy Commissioners of Police and 18 Assistant Commissioners of Police.

    Mr Maxwell Adeleye, a PDP youth leader in  Ilogbo-Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti, however, described the conduct of the election as “ a show of shame and mockery of all tenets of democracy.’’

    He advised the PDP candidate in the election to brace up for the challenges ahead, saying “  the victory of the APC was without jubilation on the streets.’’

    Adeleye , however,  congratulated the governor-elect on his victory and wished  him well in the governance of the state.

  • 2019: A vote for generational shift

    2019: A vote for generational shift

    As the country warms up for the 2019 general elections, Correspondent HANNAH OJO highlights the factors underlying the agitation by youths for roles in governance.

    Former Vice Prresident Atiku Abubarkar stirred the hornet’s nest in a recent Facebook live chat where he described his return to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a calculated move to save the future of Nigeria by creating jobs for the teeming youth population, should he become president come 2019.

    No sooner had he began to speak in a tempered voice that a barrage of comments filtered in from young people. A Facebook user, Excellent Emechebe, threw a salvo at the presidential aspirant asking why the famed politician could not pass his  ambition to a younger person. “You are too old. This is another Buhari in disguise,” Emechebe said. Following in line was another young man, Aziza Uko Douglas who fired a retort: “If you care about the youths so much, at 70, you wouldn’t want to run for president. You would look for a much younger person who is qualified with a vision and put your support behind that person”.

    As the 10-minute live session which generated 9004 comments progressed, it became glaring that the youths are frustrated by their marginalisation in the democratic process. Agitations appear to be growing among young people who are protesting the unwritten rule that defines their role in the electoral system simply as voters with handed down roles of election riggers or bag carrying personal assistants.

    When the House of Representatives passed the NotTooYoungToRun bill in the middle of the year, it was greeted with excitement. However, the snail pace of the constitutional review committee, which took some months before forwarding the bill to the Houses of Assembly soon created doubt.  It was not until some weeks back that the bill was forwarded. Following the transmission to the 36 Houses of Assembly, a minimum of 24 Houses of Assembly must sign their approval before the bill would be signed into law. Kwara and Adamawa have signed the bill into law. Youth Initiative for Advocacy and Advancement (YIAGA), a civil society group which has been putting youths in the heart of participation in the political process stated on its website that it has sent 991 personalized letters to legislators in the 36 state houses of assembly in Nigeria.

    Hamzat Lawal, an activist who is one of the front man of the campaign for young people in politics  is of the opinion that failure to pass the bill before the 2019 elections may lead to voters’ apathy from the youths’ bloc.

    “I believe that come 2019, if this bill sees the light of the day, we should aim at having a young president of the federal republic of Nigeria. I and my friend have started a campaign called TPC which is The People’s Candidate which is about taking power back to the people”, he stated.

    Also, as the campaign for young people to run for public office gathers momentum, Hamzat is also quick to condemn people who believe Nigerian Youths are not capable of being good leaders.

    “The civil society, the entertainment and tech sectors are being led by young people.  I think it is just a conspiracy to limit the potentials of young people to say that they are not ready? if you don’t even give them the opportunity, what yardstick would you use to measure their readiness?

    “If you are 18 and you are eligible to vote someone into office, you should be eligible to be voted into office. Mankind is meant to aspire and the worst thing that has happened to our generation is that we are not even allowed to aspire.

    Recalling the turn of event at a national day of action where thousands of youths marched peacefully in Borno in support of the #NotTooYoungToRun bill, Hamzat also affirmed that the eagerness with which the youths have pushed for the implementation of the bill is a sign that they are ready to take charge of leadership.

    Power, competence and previous results

    Dayo Adeniyi, a Mandela Washington fellow whose outfit, Matadors Leadership Institute has been organizing leadership training wants the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign to be focused on addressing competence and previous results, not just on wrestling power.

    “There’s an experience that could come with age so if someone is old, competent and can deliver quality service, why not? That someone is young does not mean the person will do anything different from what we have always seen. We need young, tested and competent people whose focus is on the service they can render, not the power they seek.”

    One of the factors responsible for young people’s clamour for roles in politics and governance is the unemployment rate, which stands at 14.2 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Again, the trading of Nigerian youths in Libya who got caught up in modern day slavery after trying to escape the hardship at home could also be said to be one of the factors fueling youths’ agitation for participation in governance. Also, the EndSARS campaign on twitter which called for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the police and was followed up with a rally recently may be a signal to the fact that Nigerian youths are beginning to shift from a standpoint of activism to wrestling power from the old political class. To win the battle over gerontocracy in governance, Nigerian youths would first have to conquer the reformation of a system where power often goes to the highest bidder.

     

    Reporting done as part of BudgIT 2017 fellowship

  • Youth NGOs to launch Thumb It Right campaign

    Youths are to be mobilised to observe the Permanent Voters Card distribution and the Continous Voters Registration  in Ekiti and Osun states ahead of the elections in the states this year.

    The mobilization is to be done by three NGOs, Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement(YIAGA), Youth Alliance on Constitution and Electoral Reform(YACORE) and  Partners for Electoral Reforms(PER) in conjunction with the  United Nations Development Program.

    The exercise is meant to educate citizens,’ especially young people on their right to register during the continuous voters’ registration process and vote during the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti & Osun states this year and the 2015 general elections.

    It will also develop the capacity of youth CSOs in the South West on practical approaches for monitoring the distribution of the permanent voters card (PVC) and the continuous voters registration (CVR) in Ekiti and Osun states.

    The CSOs will deploy offline and online tools to undertake this initiative which is predicated on the outcomes of the National Youth Conference on the Roadmap to the 2015 elections hosted by YIAGA, YACORE & UNDP/DGD in January 2014.

    INEC is statutorily mandated under the 1999 constitution and 2010 Electoral Act to conduct voter and civic education but due to Nigeria’s huge population and the election budget the commission has not been able to sufficiently perform this task.

    It was reported in 2011 based on official election results released by INEC during the elections that over one million votes were rejected as invalid ballot in the Presidential election.

    Similarly, 16,988 votes out of 442,242 votes cast were declared invalid in the recent Anambra governorship election. It was also reported by INEC that the Anambra election recorded an abysmal 26.3% voter turnout signaling voter apathy.

    The PVC exercise will commence in Ekiti and Osun States on the 7th -9th of March while the CVR start from the 12th -19th of March. Participants are expected to contribute their own quota to democracy by sensitising citizens on the advantages of active participation in the electoral process.

    At the end of this exercise, YACORE, YIAGA and PER is expected to have mobolized 10 000 youth voters to register and vote rightly.