As residents of Ondo State await final results of the governorship election conducted on Saturday, November 16, 2024, Yiaga Africa has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure transparency and adhere to results collation guidelines......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The civil society organisation also urged security agencies to remain professional and nonpartisan as they secure the results collation process.
In a statement jointly signed by Ezenwa Nwagwu, Chair of the 2024 Ondo Election Mission, and Cynthia Mbamalu, Director of Programs, Yiaga Africa, the organisation noted that though it has received and processed its data from polling units, it would only share such information after INEC officially announced the final results.
“Yiaga Africa assures the Nigerian people and stakeholders that it has received and processed its data from the sampled polling units and will share its findings on the results only after INEC officially announces the election results in accordance with the Electoral Act,” the statement stated.
Yiaga Africa stated that in order to obtain accurate information on the governorship election, it deployed the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology to observe the election with over 300 polling units across the 18 LGAs and 24 roving observers.
It added: “Yiaga Africa Watching The Vote deployed the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology to observe the Ondo State governorship election.
“This involves the deployment of 300 stationary observers to a representative randomly selected sample of 300 polling units across the 18 LGAs and 24 roving observers.
“With this methodology, Yiaga Africa is able to provide the most timely and accurate information on the governorship election and independently verify if the official results announced by INEC is a reflection of the votes cast at the polling units.
“Yiaga Africa undertook the Watching The Vote project to provide Nigerian citizens, political candidates, political parties, civil society and INEC with independent information about whether the official results for the November 16, 2024 governorship election truly reflect the ballots cast at polling units.”
Yiaga Africa, therefore, called on political parties, stakeholders, and citizens to remain calm
and maintain peace as INEC collates the election results.