YIAGA AFRICA today briefed the public on its plans to deploy 3,906 observers on 16 February 2019 to observe the presidential and National Assembly elections. YIAGA AFRICA will have mobile and stationary observers in every geopolitical zone and state as well is in every single one of Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs). YIAGA AFRICA will also deploy observers to the State Collation Centres in every state.
YIAGA AFRICA will conduct a parallel vote tabulation or PVT – the gold standard observation methodology that has been utilized throughout Africa and the world. 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.
Dr. Hussaini Abdu, Chair of the YIAGA AFRICA Watching the Vote explains that, “YIAGA AFRICA’s Watching The Vote effort includes volunteers from all walks of life: women and men, youth and the elderly, persons with disability, Northerners and Southerners, Muslims and Christians. YIAGA AFRICA’s observers 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.”
YIAGA AFRICA will hold a press conference Saturday 16 February 2019 at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja in the Borno Room to share its mid-day situational statement on the opening of polls. YIAGA AFRICA will also organize a briefing on Sunday 17 February 2019 at 10:00 am to share its preliminary statement on the conduct of the 16 February election process. This preliminary statement will contain detailed statistics covering all aspects of the 16 February polls including accreditation, voting, counting and posting of results. As soon as INEC announces the official results, YIAGA AFRICA will follow up with a fourth and final press conference to share its own statement on the accuracy of the election results and will publicize these projections.
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 organization 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 organizations working on elections in Nigeria.
For media inquiries please contact:
Moshood Isah
Communication Officer
YIAGA AFRICA
Tel. +234 (0) 703 666 9339
Email: misah@yiaga.org Learn more about #WatchingTheVote at www.watchingthevote.org or on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/yiaga.org or on Twitter @YIAGA
