2023: Yiaga Africa discloses deployment of 822 observers

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…we want to protect integrity of 2023 elections

…NUJ President tasks media on objective reportage

…as NAWOJ charges media to divorce self from partisan politics

By Gabriel Ewepu, ABUJA

With a few weeks to the 2023 general elections, Yiaga Africa, weekend, disclosed deploying 822 observers across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, for effective observatory activities before, during and after the elections.

This was made known by the Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, during the Yiaga Africa Watching The Vote, WTV, Media Roundtable on the 2023 Presidential Election and Deployment of PVT in Abuja.

Itodo said that the aim of the round table was for Yiaga Africa to unveil its plans ahead of the elections under its ‘Yiaga Africa’s Election Observation Deployment Plan for 2023 Elections’, which also is to carry media along on its programmes as far as the elections are concerned.

He commended the media remains a very key partner in Yiaga Africa’s activities for its 16 years of existence in Civil Society space in Nigeria and other African countries.

He said: “#WatchingTheVote involves comprehensive observation of the 2023 Presidential Election including systematic observation of voting and counting at a representative random sample of polling using the PVT methodology and employing Information and Communication Technologies, ICTs, to rapidly transmit observer reports.

“This initiative also involves a comprehensive observation of the pre-election period (beginning with voter registration), tracking early warning signs, activities of INEC, political parties (candidates nominations and rallies) and other election stakeholders, using advanced observation methodologies, Yiaga Africa’s observation the pre-election period environment involves the deployment of 822 Long Term Observers across all the 774 Local Government Areas, LGAs, in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to track and report on activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, National Orientation Agency, NOA, political parties, security agencies and the involvement of women, youth, and Persons With Disabilities, PWDs, in the electoral process as well as treating and reporting early warning signs for electoral violence.”

He also spoke extensively on the use of technology in the electoral process and gains made so far, “There is that exponential growth in the use of electoral technologies for elections and this growth has implications for how elections are managed, how elections are perceived, and how people participate in elections because wax technology can potentially deepen the integrity of elections it can also be to for undermining elections.

“Whilst technology can enhance participation it can also deepen the inequality gap within a particular geographical context. And so these new technologies also bring new dynamics to the management as well as the observation of elections.

“Also, the political marginalization of several groups, women, persons with disability and youth, it is also in the high increase, and so when we looked at the landscape, and we say, it is important for us to frame strategic objectives and align and respond to this particular trend.

Meanwhile, speaking on the Yiaga Africa’s objectives for the 2023 general elections he pointed out that, “And for us, as we look towards 2023 elections, there are four objectives that we want to achieve. The first one deals with providing citizens with a repository of accurate, simplified and concise information on the electoral process to improve turnout, as well as the quality of public participation.

“And you will see that cut across all the things that we do at Yiaga Africa providing information, public education, and just ensuring that people have the information that they require to participate in their elections.

“The second we want to limit election manipulation, through our strength analysis, as well as strategic advocacy.

“The third, we want to protect the integrity of the 2023 elections through data driven-election observation.

“And lastly, is to provide technical support to marginalized groups who are on the ballot for 2023 elections, and especially women, youth, persons with disabilities.”

On the implementation strategies to achieve the four objectives he highlighted he said, “In terms of our implementation strategy, we are going to be producing knowledge development vehicle, knowledge production tools, as well as electoral policy analysis, we will be engaged in advocacy, which is our traditional tool of advancing our vision.

“We will be engaging in capacity development, election observation, and then we will be engaged in direct community mobilization and outreach. And these are the ways that young Africa is going to be involved in working on elections.”

According to him, on Election Day observation, Yiaga Africa’s Watching the Vote “will be using an advanced Election Day observation called the Parallel Vote Tabulation, PVT”, which is basically going to leveraging statistics and technology for the observation of the process of voting and counting and tallying of results. Citizen observers are also deployed to randomly sampled polling units to collect data on the conduct of elections and official polling unit-level results.

“It is one unique, dynamic tool that we use for evidence based election observation to keep an eye on the process, as well as the results for the elections and what we did in 2019 we will be doing same in the 2023 elections”, he said.

Then on the #WatchingTheVote, WTV, Yiaga Africa explained that the PVT allows the WTV to present an accurate and comprehensive assessment of the Election Day process, such as whether election officials comply with the guidelines for the conduct of elections, the presence of security agents, the presence and behavior of part agents, the secrecy of the ballot and transparent if the counting process.

“For the 2023 presidential election, #WachingTheVote will deploy 3, 014 stationary and 774 LGAs and 48 mobile citizen observers to a representative random sample of 1, 507 polling units across all 36 States and the FCT. The sample is carefully constructed by a trained statistician to ensure every LGA is included proportionately in the sample”, he said.

However, Yiaga Africa made it clear that, “The Project will not announce the official results, this is the responsibility of INEC.”

Also speaking was the National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Chris Isiguzo, tasked media to remain apolitical, “I am also happy that this gathering is for journalists, and it brings to the fore the very important, crucial role of the media in the delivery of free, fair, and transparent election.

“The media remains a strategic stakeholder. If we’re going to look at the key stakeholders that would facilitate this credible election, beyond the election management body, the INEC, the security agencies, the media remains highly strategic and that is why is important we don’t remain or continue to encourage the dissemination of fake news as clearly broken down as misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation.

“We should not allow politicians, political actors to take advantage of us in any way possible because whenever they are out there, they are seeking for self-serving interests, so as journalists as key stakeholders let us not pander to their wings at any time. Let us bear in mind that this country belongs to all of us.”

While commending Yiaga Africa for the media interaction he charged journalists to “Make sure that your journalism is such that will continue to ensure there is development, peace and tranquility, is harmony, and unity in our country. So again, I want to applaud Yaga Africa, for putting this together among many other efforts.”

In another remark, the National President of National Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Ladi Bala, pointed how critical the role of the media is in the 2023 general elections, and called on the media to divorce itself from the various divides political and non-state actors have established ahead of the elections.

“We must make deliberate and conscious effort to divorce ourselves from the colouration that the political landscape has already created and divorce ourselves from our brothers that are politicians, from those representing our constituency, our tribes, people, our religious friends, we must tell them that the Nigeria project should be placed above every other interest, because we don’t have any other country”, Bala stated.

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