Chinedum Elekwachi
Yiaga Africa has urged stakeholders in the Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Anambra to commit to peaceful, fair, inclusive and credible electoral process.
It vowed to expose any manipulation of the announced results if they did not match the results posted at polling stations.
Dr Asmau Maikudi, Chairperson, 2025 Anambra Election Mission, Yiaga Africa, made the call at a news conference in Awka, ahead of the Saturday poll.
Maikudi assured her group would confirm outcome of the announced results that reflected ballots cast at the polling units.
She listed three critical benchmarks that would shape credibility of the electoral process.
According to her, they include efficiency of logistics, integrity of procedures and impartiality of security agencies.
“Drawing from past electoral experiences and recent by-elections, these three tests will serve as the litmus test for public trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and political actors.
“Failure to meet these standards could further erode voter confidence and deepen the legitimacy crisis in Nigeria’s democracy,” she said.
Maikudi said total of 687 observers drawn from various organisations would be deployed across the state, under the Election Observation Hub.
She listed the Hub to include Yiaga Africa, Kukah Centre, International Press Centre, Centre for Media and Society, Nigeria Women Trust Fund, ElectHER and TAF Africa.
“Yiaga Africa is deploying Watching the Vote as part of a broader civil society election observation hub.
“This is supported by the European Union under the EU Support for Democratic Governance Project (EU-SDGN).
“Cumulatively, the Hub is deploying 687 observers across Anambra State, working in coordinated clusters.
“They will cover election integrity and results verification, disability inclusion, gender participation, peacebuilding, media
and misinformation tracking, logistics observation and realtime data reporting.
Yiaga urged INEC to uphold integrity of the election.
The group urged INEC to ensure uniform and uncompromised application of the BVAS for accreditation across polling unit.
It stressed its importance under the Electoral Act 2022.
“INEC must strengthen oversight of logistics by ensuring strict supervision of the deployment of personnel and materials
“The Commission should hold transport companies accountable to their contractual obligations.
“It must provide timely and detailed information regarding voting arrangement in Ihiala LGA.
“This is an area where voting has been consolidated due to insecurity to avoid voter confusion and disenfranchisement.
Yiaga on Security
On security, Yiaga underscored neutrality and professionalism by operating without political bias.
It also recommended establishment and enforcement of clear protocols.
According to the group, the protocol should exclude vigilante and other unconventional security outfits from election security roles.
“Their involvement should be expressly prohibited to maintain public trust.
“Security operations must be non-selective, avoiding intimidation or harassment of political actors, voters, accredited observers and journalists.
“They must deploy strategically to hotspots by prioritizing intelligence-led deployment in identified flashpoints.
“This will deter violence, reassure voters and prevent escalation of conflicts on election day,” the group added.
