…tasks members of election tribunals, appellate courts to be courageous

By Gabriel Ewepu

AS the much anticipated 2023 general elections have come and gone, Yiaga Africa, Tuesday, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over the functionality of the INEC Election Results Viewing, IReV, portal that enhanced high level of transparency during the March 18 governorship and State Assembly elections.

The remark was contained in Yiaga Africa’s ‘Results Statement on the March 2023 Governorship Election in Benue, Delta and Kanu’, which was read by the Member of the Board for Chair, Yiaga Africa Watching The Vote, Ezenwa Nwagwu along with Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo.

According to Nwagwu, the IReV portal functioned optimally and citizens were able to download polling unit-level results, and that brought credibility and transparency in the process.

Yiaga Africa deployed its Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology to observe the elections in Benue, Delta and Kano States. A total of 900 stationary observers were deployed to a representative randomly selected sample of 300 polling units for each of the states, and an additional 97 roving observers were deployed in the three states. Yiaga Africa also deployed 550 observers in the other 25 states to observe the conduct of the election and results collation.

He said: “Compared to the February 25 presidential election, the INEC Election Results Viewing (IReV) portal functioned optimally, enabling citizens to download polling unit-level results. The results upload enhanced the transparency of the process.

However, he pointed out that the Saturday election process recorded had a high level of manual collation, which he described as the weakest link in Nigeria’s election results management process.

“However, the manual collation process has reinforced the ward level and Local Government Area result collation as the weakest link in Nigeria’s election results management process.

“As observed by Yiaga Africa observers, security agencies, party supporters, and political thugs denied accredited observers access to the results collation centers. Thugs also attacked collation centers, and unruly party agents interfered with the collation process in states like Rivers, Abia, Delta, Ebonyi, Gombe, and Enugu. Polling unit-level results were altered during collation without any explanation from collation officers and returning officers.

“In some cases, the Returning officers demonstrated a poor understanding of the guidelines and misapplied the rules. Yiaga Africa observers reported inconsistencies in enforcing the 2022 Electoral Act and INEC guidelines on over-voting and cancellation of votes in the application of the Margin of Lead principle.

“In a significant number of collation centers, the collation officers and returning officers failed to verify and compare the results recorded on hardcopy results sheets (Form EC 8A) with the results uploaded on the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV).”

Meanwhile, he (Nwagwu ) called on INEC to address flaws that marred the election process in some polling units across the country on March 18.

“INEC should, in line with Section 64 of the 2022 Electoral Act, review cases where legitimate concerns have been raised on the conduct and declarations made by collation and returning officers, especially cases where declarations were made in violation of the electoral legal framework.

“Immediate investigation and prosecution of collation and returning officers flagrant violations of the guidelines on results collation and results manipulation.

“A comprehensive and independent audit of the 2023 general election is imperative for inspiring public confidence and ensuring accountability for operational lapses, disregard for the constitutional and electoral legal framework and cases of subversion of the people’s vote.

Also, he said the report from Yiaga Africa’s observers indicated that there were killings and abductions during the election, therefore tasked security agencies to thoroughly investigate and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.

In the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, he said, “Members of election tribunals and appellate courts should demonstrate courage as a fundamental pillar of democracy to insulate the courts from the influence of politicians and uphold the rule of law to the highest standards in determining election petitions.”