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Tag: YIAGA Africa

  • Yiaga Africa Calls for Enhanced Transparency in Local Government Administration

    Yiaga Africa Calls for Enhanced Transparency in Local Government Administration

    By Milcah Tanimu

    Non-governmental organization Yiaga Africa has emphasized the need for greater transparency in local government administration in Nigeria. The call was made by the group’s Director of Programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu, during an advocacy roundtable on legislative reform for improved local government elections held in Kaduna.

    Yiaga Africa, known for promoting democratic governance, human rights, and civic engagement, stresses that transparency will empower citizens to demand accountability both in daily governance and during elections. Mbamalu highlighted the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in developing robust accountability mechanisms and acting as watchdogs.

    Mbamalu urged collaboration between CSOs and local government bodies to educate citizens on the responsibilities of elected officials and the role of citizens in governance. This education should reorient the electorate toward community-focused demands rather than personalized requests from leaders.

    She also called for legislative reforms to clearly define the composition, finance, and functions of local government councils, suggesting that the National Assembly should prescribe these measures. By setting minimum criteria for the creation of local governments, state-level manipulation by governors and legislators can be minimized, thus enhancing the responsiveness of local councils.

    Furthermore, Mbamalu pointed out the increasing use of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process to boost accountability and integrity, noting that this advancement is mostly seen at the national level. She advocated for incorporating technology into local government elections to simplify processes and enhance transparency.

    She acknowledged that while CSOs in Nigeria are recognized as vital watchdogs in the electoral process, their capacity to reform local government elections is limited. To address this, she called for systematic capacity-building programs to equip civil society actors with the necessary tools for effective engagement.

    Dr. Asmau Maikudi, a member of Yiaga Africa’s Working Group, highlighted the local government system as crucial to Nigeria’s governance. She pointed out that the legitimacy of local governments often comes into question, affecting public confidence and support for the democratic system. Maikudi stressed that legitimate and accountable local government elections are essential for effective governance in Nigeria.

    Kaduna State Government’s Secretary, Dr. Abdulkadir Maiyere, praised Yiaga Africa’s contributions to democracy. Represented by Ibrahim Sambo, Maiyere reaffirmed Kaduna’s commitment to democracy, noting that the state was the first to use electronic voting in local government elections.

    The event brought together representatives from political parties, CSOs, the legislature, and the state’s electoral commission, emphasizing the collective effort needed to enhance the quality of local government elections in Nigeria.

  • INEC results on Ekiti guber poll tallies with our tabulation — Yiaga Africa

    INEC results on Ekiti guber poll tallies with our tabulation — Yiaga Africa

    Yiaga Africa, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), says the Ekiti governorship election result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) falls within its Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT).

    Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, Board Member, Yiaga Africa, made this known in the group’s final verification statement on the Ekiti election on Sunday in Abuja.

    “The INEC result falls within Yiaga Africa’s Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) which is an election observation methodology based on a representative random sample of polling stations and is employed for independent verification,” he said.

    Nwagwu said that Yiaga Africa deployed 500 observers in pairs to a representative random sample of 250 polling units and 25 mobile observers in all the 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) among others.

    He said that the deployment strategy enabled the organisation to provide timely and accurate information on the election day process beginning from the set-up, voter accreditation, voting, and counting to independently verifying the result.

    “The process and results verification statement is based on reports from 245 to 250 (98 per cent) sampled polling units in Ekiti State.

    “Based on report of the sampled polling units, Yiaga Africa’s statistical analysis shows that the All Progressives Congress (APC) should receive between 50.5 per cent and 54.1 per cent of the vote.

    “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should receive between 19.0 per cent and 22.4 per cent of the vote, Social Democratic Party (PDP) should receive between 20.4 per cent and 24.6 per cent of the vote.

    “No other political party should receive more than 5.5 per cent of the vote. The PVT statistical analysis is based on the number of registered voters and not the number of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected,” he said.

    Nwagwu said that with this, INEC official results for the 2022 Ekiti state governorship election was consistent with Yiaga Africa’s because it fell within its estimated range.

    He said that 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 estimated ranges.

    “This is because the official results fall within the estimated ranges, candidates, parties, and voters should have confidence that the official results for the Ekiti 2022 gubernatorial election reflect the ballots cast at polling units on Saturday, June 18,” he said.

    Nwagwu said that it was important to highlight that the counting process at polling units was transparent and included representatives from the four political parties that received the most votes.

    “At 100 per cent of polling units, an APC party agent signed the EC.8A results form, at 99 per cent of polling units a PDP party agent signed the EC.8A results form and at 97 per cent of polling units an SDP party agent signed the EC.8A results form.

    “At 99 per cent of polling units, APC party agents were given a copy of the EC.8A results form, at 97 per cent of polling units, PDP polling agents were given a copy of the EC.8A results form and at 96 per cent of polling units, SDP party agents were given a copy of the EC.8A results form.

    “While at 96 per cent of polling units, the polling official posted the official polling unit results for the public to see,” he said.

    Nwagwu said that INEC turnout and rejected ballots for the 16 LGAs were also consistent with Yiaga Africa’s estimate.

    He added that the organisaition was able to estimate that turnout was between 35.7 per cent and 38.7 per cent while INEC’s official result was 36.47 per cent.

    Similarly, he said that Yiaga Africa’s estimated rejected ballots were between 1.8 per cent and 2.6 per cent while INEC official result was 2.46 per cent.

    The organisation encouraged INEC to uphold the principles of transparency by publishing the total number of PVCs collected in Ekiti state on its website.

    “In addition, Yiaga Africa calls on INEC to audit the newly created polling units and ensure equitable distribution of voters to the polling units.

    “In cases where voters have been allotted to new polling units, INEC should update the voter records on its website and communicate the changes to prevent voter disenfranchisement.”

    The organisation commended the electorate in Ekiti state for their resilience and commitment to a non-violent election.

    It also urged them to sustain their participation in the electoral process beyond the election by holding political parties accountable for their campaign promises.

  • Youth And Females Challenged To Participate In Politics

    Youth And Females Challenged To Participate In Politics

    By Muhammad Ibrahim, Sokoto

    A non governmental organisation, Yiaga Africa with the support of a British Ukaid within the week organized a technical meeting with 23 youths leaders one from each of the 23 local governments in the state.

    Mrs Efemena Ozugha who deliberated on the overview of the turn up Democracy Project mainly spoke about the political party engagement program and expected outcome-youths compact.

    She said when it comes to women political participation, what they are advocating for is to fully engage in political parties saying the populace in Sokoto is more open to women in the political participation adding that if a woman has an important issue and is not on the decision table nobody would know them and nobody can advocate for that.

    Ozugha added that, that is why they are calling for more space for youths and women as voters,aspirants and candidates.

    The ceremony that took place at Dankani Guest Palace Hotel also discussed the outlook of youths participation in politics in Sokoto presented by the Political Science head of department as well as experiences of youths leaders in political parties and developing a youths compact-identifying challenges and solutions to youths participations and representation.

    The whole aim of the brief ceremony is to avail both youths and female gender to avail themselves from the current challenges of poverty,insecurity and all it takes to make a person whole.

    The Program Manager of the Yiaga Africa,Malam Ibrahim Ahmad under a project called Turn Up Democracy Project,said the aim for holding the meeting with youths leaders of political parties was to hear and share some of their experiences about young peoples participation in political enrolment.

    He also said increasing youths number in participation become necessary in the leadership positions and candidates when it comes to election believing that when young people are fully engaged in politics sanity would prevail.

  • Yiaga Africa calls on Nigerians and First Time Voters to register as INEC begins CVR process online

    Yiaga Africa calls on Nigerians and First Time Voters to register as INEC begins CVR process online

    By Mike Oboh

    Yiaga Africa, a civil society organisation, has called on Nigerians and First Time Voters to Register as INEC Resumes the Continuous Voters Registration on Monday, 28 June 2021.

    Cynthia Mbamalu, YIAGA Africa director of programmes, in a statement on Monday, commended INEC for the innovation.

    “The highly anticipated Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise is finally resuming on Monday, 28th June 2021, with the online pre-registration process. To inspire citizens to register as voters, the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) introduced the pre-enrolment via INEC’s CVR online portal from June 28, 2021,” the statement said.

    “This will be the first time in Nigeria’s electoral process where citizens can commence their voter’s registration from their individual spaces of comfort. Citizens who complete their pre-enrollment in the online portal will choose an appointment date for their biometric physical capture, which will commence from 19 July 2021 at INEC offices in the States and Local Government Areas (LGAs). 

    “With the proposals for more technology to be deployed in Nigeria’s election, this CVR process presents an opportunity for the accurate capture of voters’ data and biometrics. It also creates an opportunity for more eligible voters to commence their registration with ease and hopefully reduce the pressure at the physical centers. 

    “Voters registration remains a critical exercise in the electoral process as it is the first determinant of who gets to vote in Nigeria. The right to vote which, gives the people a voice through the ballot, requires citizens to first register as voters. It guarantees the free exercise of the right of citizens to choose their leaders and decide electoral outcomes. 

    “This CVR exercise presents an opportunity for Nigerians, especially young Nigerians, to exercise their power as the sovereign in a democracy by first registering to vote to harness the people’s power during elections. The CVR is a prerequisite for participating in elections in Nigeria because only registered voters will be issued the permanent voter’s card (PVC) to vote. 

    “Registering to vote is both a fundamental human rights issue and a civic responsibility issue.  The CVR  provides an opportunity to transition from any form of agitation or protest to action, as the election remains the legitimate means of transition of political power in a democracy. With the introduction of the online pre-registration process, registration centres will be less congested and the CVR process faster and seamless, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully, more eligible voters, especially young Nigerians, will take advantage of this opportunity to register as voters. 

    “The Continuous Voter’s registration exercise is for citizens who just turned 18 years old or above 18 but have not registered to vote. The CVR is for: registered voters who lost their PVC or whose PVC’s got damaged to apply for replacement of PVC, voters who had issues during accreditation of voters on election day in previous elections, registered voters who want to transfer their voter’s registration to their current location, voters who wish to correct their details in the voter’s register. Registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs can also visit the INEC offices to collect their PVCs.”

    Yiaga Africa compliments INEC for improving the technology deployed for voters registration to enable a new generation of Nigerians to register seamlessly to vote. 

    The CSO also commend Nigerians for remaining patient and waiting for the CVR process to resume. We congratulate Nigeria’s youth for staying resilient and committed to building Nigeria’s democracy. 

  • Nigeria needs a COVID-19 vaccine management plan to achieve targets, says Yiaga Africa

    Nigeria needs a COVID-19 vaccine management plan to achieve targets, says Yiaga Africa

    By Mike Oboh

    Yiaga Africa has said for Nigeria to achieve her targets in the fight against COVID 19 pandemic, the country requires developing a detailed plan for vaccine rollout, addressing misinformation on the COVID-19 vaccine, and restoring the people’s confidence in the government.

    According to a release signed by Yiaga Africa Director of Programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu, these will directly impact the government’s ability to meet its vaccination targets and effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

    She stated that there is also a need to strengthen Nigeria’s health sector and systems for efficient vaccine introduction, providing accountability and transparency on the management of funds earmarked by and donated to the government to fight the pandemic, adding that there is a need to create avenues for citizen’s participation and public enlightenment and education campaign that will provide adequate information on the vaccine and the importance of curbing the spread of COVID-19.

    She added that after months of waiting, Nigeria has finally received its first batch of nearly 4m COVID-19vaccines via the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility as part of efforts to combat the pandemic which has ravaged the world.

    “The Federal Government has commenced the distribution of the vaccines across the country. It has set a target of vaccinating 40% of the population by the end of 2021 and 70% of Nigeria’s estimated population before the end of 2022. It has also announced that it expects 41 million doses of the vaccine through the African Union, which is sourcing them from manufacturers in India.

    “So far, about a quarter of the vaccines (1.084 million doses) have been distributed to eight states, with Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory accounting for two-thirds of the number distributed and Nasarawa, Benue, Adamawa, Cross River, Ondo, and Ekiti states accounting for the remaining one-third,” she stated.

    According to Yiaga, the vaccinations have begun in Lagos, Nasarawa, Ekiti and CrossRiver states and the Federal Capital Territory while the other states have confirmed receipt of the vaccines.

    She however said that there is still little detail about how these vaccination targets will be achieved beyond registration website that provides information on which groups will be given priority.

    The groups include frontline healthcare workers and those who work in high-risk areas like entry points and contact tracing teams, and COVID-19 vaccination teams. This group is followed by security personnel, teachers, and the elderly, especially those with comorbidities – cancer, diabetes, asthma, HIV and AIDS, and immune-compromised patients. The general population then follows after the first two groups.

    As the Government commenced the distribution of the vaccines across the country, it was imperative to ensure Nigeria achieves equitable distribution of the vaccines across the country, emphasizing gender, disability, and social inclusion.

    To this end, Yiaga Africa recent Vaccine Management Policy Brief (Issue 1) discusses amongst other things, the challenges facing the commencement of the vaccination programme and proffers recommendations for improved vaccine management in Nigeria.

    The Policy Brief will be followed by a policy dialogue on the COVID-19 vaccination program in Nigeria especially as new issues emerge.

    This policy brief will be an excellent resource for assisting the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, healthcare policymakers, legislators, and public health experts to manage the COVID-19vaccination program in Nigeria effectively.

  • YIAGA Africa says 3.3 % ballots were cancelled in 2019 presidential election

    YIAGA Africa says 3.3 % ballots were cancelled in 2019 presidential election

    YIAGA Africa,a Civil Society Organisation says 3.3 per cent of ballot papers used during 2019 presidential election were cancelled.

    Mr Paul James, Programme Manager, Elections, YIAGA Africa said this while presenting the group’s Watching The Vote Report on Nigeria 2019 Presidential Elections at a round-table  in Abuja.

    According to James, the cancellation was four times higher than that of 2015 election.

    He said that the cancellation in the 2019 presidential election, were announced in all states except the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    He said that YIAGA Africa deployed over 4000 Watching The Vote  observers across the 774 Local Government Areas(LGAs)in the 36 states including the FCT  to monitor pre-election environment,election and post-election.

    “For the 2019 general elections, YIAGA Africa data revealed possible incidents of vote suppression.

    “This is as reflected in the percentage of cancelled ballots in some states with 60,000 or more cancelled ballots –  Rivers, Nasarawa, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Plateau, Kogi, Benue and Kaduna States.

    “Rivers had 1402 Polling Units (PU)and LGAs cancelled with 942 ,368 registered voters  ,Akwa Ibom had 272,Pus canceled in 10 LGAs with 195,799 voters.

    “Kaduna had 89 Pus cancelled with 189,865 voters while Nassarawa had 157,591votes cancelled and Plateau has 126 Pus cancelled in 12 LGAs with 146,355 voters,’’ he said.

    James said that some critical incidents reported during the election were snatching of Election Materials at the Registration Area Center (RAC) in Okrika LGA in Rivers which prevented voting.

    He said that the report also showed that voters were denied access to polling units by political thugs.

    He said that the group while observing the election also witnessed destruction and burning of election materials,threats to media reporters and six journalists were abduction in Ahoada West LGA in Rivers.

    He said that the group also observed disruption of the results collation in some states , military interference harassment among others.

    Mr Samson Itodo , Executive Director ,YIAGA Africa said that the round table was organised to get stakeholders together to talk about voter oppression because  it was becoming a recurring decimal in Nigerian election.

    “We are witnesses to the fact that in recent elections thugs have targeted specific local government or polling units and destruction of election  materials.

    ” People were also  prevented from casting their votes just in a bid to dilute the voting power of a particular geographical space or a particular group,” he said.

    Itodo said that when citizens were deprived  of their rights, democracy lose it vitality because citizens were unable to vote.

    He said that the round table was meant to push  discussion around voter suppression and the need for electoral reform to provide an opportunity to strengthen Nigerian legal framework to prevent institutional voter suppression.(NAN)