The early warning signals of voter inducement and electoral violence should not be overlooked ahead of the November 16 Governorship elections in Kogi State. A recent report on the pre-election observation by YIAGA AFRICA has revealed commencement of voter inducement in both states while subsequent engagement by election stakeholders has conveyed the wrong signals. The...

Electoral activities by all stakeholders, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and political associations are now building momentum. Recall that YIAGA AFRICA’s Watching The Vote deployed Long Term Observers to all Local Government Ares in both Kogi and Bayelsa State to observe the pre-election environment. Below is the summary of...

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT BELOW WatchingTheVote Pre-Election Observation Report Summary of Findings The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  had announced the 16th November 2019 as the date for the Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections, which falls within the stipulated time for conducting the elections, as provided by the 1999 Constitution, as amended. The Constitution states that...

As the largest citizen movement committed to credible elections in Nigeria, YIAGA AFRICA recognizes the importance of collaborative effort in achieving an inclusive, credible and peaceful electoral process. Thus, it is currently amplifying the voices of other election stakeholders in ensuring the message of credible, peaceful and inclusive elections reaches the people of Bayelsa and...

The Watching The Vote Hour election program on Peoples FM Bayelsa and Prime FM Kogi is aimed to empower citizens in both states to engage the electoral process while making informed decision, YIAGA AFRICA has said. The Civic Advocacyhub through its Watching The Vote (WTV) project has reiterated its commitment to see that citizens especially...

….. To Observe Voter Education, Violent Indicators, Hate Speech, other Pre-election Activities The Bayelsa and Kogi elections is anticipated to be keenly contested, with a lot of expectations from all election stakeholders and it becomes pertinent to engage the process from the pre-election period. Having Observed the Political party primaries in both Bayelsa and Kogi...

Ahead of the November 16th Governorship elections in Bayelsa state, YIAGA AFRICA has called on Journalists in Bayelsa state to leverage on accurate data from its Watching The Vote project in reporting election related issues in the state. Recognising the important role media play in the electoral process, YIAGA AFRICA on Friday 13th September, convened...

As the November Governorship elections approach, the roles of every stakeholder increasingly become important ranging from the electoral commission, security agencies, political parties, Civil Society Organisations and traditional rulers. This underscored the reason behind the YIAGA AFRICA advocacy visits to the stakeholders in both Bayelsa and Kogi state as the team sustained its drive for...

In a bid to continue to increase citizen participation in the electoral process, YIAGA AFRICA’s WatchingTheVote has  commence a citizen engagement radio program on Prime FM and Peoples FM in Kogi and Bayelsa states respectively. The Radio program tagged “Watching The Vote hour” kicked off on Prime FM 98.1 Kogi state every Thursday by 10am...

As the Independent National Electoral Commission prepares for its first major election since the 2019 general elections, the issues that plagued the February and March General elections may rare its head again if not properly addressed. The Bayelsa and Kogi Governorship elections are a little over 2 months away, yet, the signs witnessed before the...