Yiaga asks INEC strengthen logistics, enforce IReV compliance in Anambra guber

Yiaga Africa has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to strengthen its logistics coordination and enforce real-time upload to the INEC result viewing (IReV) portal in Saturday’s Anambra governorship election.

In its pre-election statement on Thursday, the civic organisation said the credibility of the election will depend on the commission’s efficiency and transparency in handling accreditation, voting, and result transmission.

Yiaga Africa noted that the election will test efficiency, integrity, and impartiality in Nigeria’s electoral process, especially as voter confidence remains low in the state.

According to the organisation, the lawful use of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) must be uniform across all polling units as required by the Electoral Act 2022.

Yiaga Africa warned that any attempt to bypass the technology, as reportedly seen in past bye-elections, could undermine the poll’s credibility.

“Under the Electoral Act 2022, the use of BVAS for accreditation is compulsory and non-negotiable. To uphold the integrity of the election, INEC must ensure complete compliance and uniformity in the application of the legal mandate,” the statement reads.

Yiaga Africa urged INEC to ensure timely deployment of materials and personnel to polling units to avoid late commencement, which has historically affected elections in Anambra.

“INEC has a huge responsibility of enhancing coordination and communication with transport companies and unions to ensure the timely delivery of materials and early deployment of personnel to polling units,” the organisation said.

Yiaga also called on INEC to “guarantee full compliance with timely upload of polling unit results (Form EC8A) to the IReV portal”, adding that transparency in the results collation chain will be central to public trust.

The organisation raised concerns over security in certain local government areas, including Ihiala, Orumba north, Orumba south, Ogbaru, Nnewi south and Aguata, describing them as “potential hotspots” requiring strategic security deployment.

Yiaga Africa also warned that voter turnout could drop below 20 percent due to widespread political apathy and distrust in the process.