- Yiaga Africa criticized the credibility of the Edo governorship election results, citing flaws like late material arrival and collation issues
- The Good Governance Network defended INEC’s authority, questioning Yiaga’s methodology and emphasizing that only INEC can declare official election results
Yiaga Africa has come under fire for questioning the credibility of the 2024 governorship election in Edo State. This criticism follows Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ‘s declaration as the winner of the gubernatorial poll. Yiaga raised concerns about flaws in the election process, including the late arrival of materials and issues with results collation in controversial areas.
The civic group, accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to observe the election, challenged the declared results, highlighting discrepancies in three local government areas compared to its findings.
In response, the Good Governance Network, a civil society group, criticized Yiaga’s actions, stating it is inappropriate for any civic group or election observer to act as a parallel agency declaring election winners. The group emphasized that only INEC is legally empowered to conduct elections and declare results.
“It is a known fact that INEC is the sole statutory authority empowered by the constitution of Nigeria for the conduct and declaration of election results. No civic society or election observer is permitted to override INEC’s functions or discredit the results declared by the commission,” they asserted.
The Good Governance Network also expressed concerns about Yiaga’s methodology in its assessment, arguing that it is implausible for a civic organization claiming to have deployed only 300 observers across 150 of the 4,519 polling units to draw definitive conclusions about the election.
“It is unfathomable that Yiaga based its report on a mere 150 polling units when the election was conducted across 4,519 polling units. This represents less than 4% of the total voting activities in a statewide election. Even an amateur researcher knows that reaching a conclusion based on such a small sample size is unacceptable. Yiaga must clarify how it selected its sample population. Who were the experts involved in compiling the reports? How can findings from just 150 polling units accurately represent the entire state, encompassing over 4,500 polling units? Does Yiaga arbitrarily choose its methodology when validating an election?” they questioned.
The group urged Yiaga to reassess its approach to Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT), formerly known as Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT), and to learn from established practices to effectively contribute to strengthening the country’s electoral process.
“We urge Yiaga to consult its experts and revisit the use of PRVT, as done by credible organizations, to arrive at well-supported conclusions. This will help ensure that Yiaga’s good intentions are accurately represented,” they added.
Moreover, the group noted that international and local observers have praised INEC for conducting a credible election despite minor challenges caused by desperate politicians attempting to exploit the process.
“The election has been widely acclaimed by other observers as credible and meeting required standards, despite some minor challenges attributable to desperate politicians. However, INEC and security agencies rose to the challenge and promptly addressed these issues. One is tempted to ask, ‘Whose script is Yiaga Africa acting? How can the association, accredited as an election observer, suddenly transform itself into the umpire?’” they queried.