By Angela Atabo

Yiaga Africa said that its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT), would independently assess the quality of the process and verify the accuracy of official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Dr Asmau Maikudi, Member, Watching The Vote(WTV) Working Group,made this known at a news conference on the Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi governorship election in Abuja.

According to Maikudi, Yiaga Africa WTV is deploying the PRVT methodology to observe the governorship elections in Imo and Kogi States.

She said that this involved the deployment of 600 stationary observers to a representative randomly selected sample of 300 polling units in each of the States and 50 roving observers in Kogi and Imo states.

“With the PRVT, Yiaga Africa will independently assess the quality of the process and verify the accuracy of official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“This deployment will enable Yiaga Africa to provide the most timely and accurate information on the governorship elections in the states.

“Using the PRVT, Yiaga Africa will also provide an independent projection of voter turnout in Imo and Kogi, and will be able to project the vote shares that each party should receive within a narrow-estimated range.

“If the official results fall within Yiaga Africa’s estimated range, then the public, political parties and candidates should have confidence in the ballots cast at the polling units.

“Only INEC has the legal mandate to announce the election results.As soon as INEC announces the official results, Yiaga Africa will follow up with a result verification press conference to share its statement on the accuracy of the election results,” she said.

Maikudi said that in addition to the PRVT methodology, Yiaga Africa deployed nine roving observers in Bayelsa state and also observe the results collation process in all Local Government Areas (LGAs) and state Results Collation Centres.

Director Programmes ,Yaiga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu,said that Yiaga Africa’s data center received critical incident reports relating to pre-filled election results sheets and other irregularities that needed to be investigated by INEC.

Mbamalu said that INEC should also arrest, investigate and prosecute the individuals responsible for the electoral offence.

“Yiaga Africa calls on INEC to provide an update on when voters in locations where elections are yet to commence will vote, especially polling units affected by the late arrival of polling officials or materials destroyed due to the boat mishap.

“Yiaga Africa calls on INEC and security agencies to uphold the transparency of the results collation process by complying with guidelines on results management.”

Mbamalu said Yiaga Africa called on
INEC to ensure accredited election observers, media and party agents were present at all levels of result collation.(NAN)