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Elections: Yiaga Africa pledges to promote electoral integrity through technology

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Yiaga Africa ,a civil society organisation, has pledged to promote the intergrity of the 2023 General Election, through its Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT).

Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said this at the Yiaga Africa Watching The Vote (WTV) Media Roundtable on the 2023 Presidential Election and Deployment of PVT, in Abuja on Thursday.

Itodo said  that the aim of the round table was for Yiaga Africa to reel out its intervention for the elction and to keep journalists abreast with its programmes.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PVT was an election day observation methodology that leveraged on statistics and technology for the observation of the process of voting, counting and tallying of results.

The process involved the deployment of citizen observers to randomly sampled polling units to collect data on the conduct of the elections and official polling units results.

Itodo said that with the results assembled from the sampled polling units, a citizen observer group could release projected estimates and verify the accuracy of results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

He said tha PVT allowed Yiaga Africa WTV to present an accurate and comprehensive assessment of the election day processes.

He said that Yiaga Africa would deploy 3014 statutory and 774 LGAs as well as 48 mobile citizen observers to a representative random sample of 1507 polling units across the 36 states and the FCT.

“For us at Yiaga Africa, when we think about the upcoming 2023 general elections there are a few things that actually come to mind because our vision is a people driven democratic and developed Africa.

“We see that there is a decline in the level of public participation not just in elections but in governance.

“However, there is also the added need to protect the integrity of elections because one of the reasons why people don’t show up at elections, is a lack of trust and faith in the electoral process.

“So we have seen, based on our work and engagement, that there is a need to protect election integrity because if we protect election integrity people will believe that their vote will count in elections,” he said.

Itodo said that although the electoral process had witnessed growth in the use of technology deployment,there was need to create a balance so as to avoid marginalisation .

He said that was why Yiaga Africa thought it was important to frame strategic objectives to align and respond to the technology trend.

He said that the organisation was poised to achieving four objectives in the 2023 election.

Itodo said that the first objective had to  do with providing citizens with a repository of accurate, simplified and concise information on the electoral process to improve turnout.

He said that the second was to limit election manipulation through Yiaga Africa’s trends analysis as well as strategic observation.

He said that the third was to protect the integrity of the 2023 elections through data driven election observation and the fourth was to provide technical support to marginalised groups.

Itodo called for the extension of the PVC collection to enable eligible voters get their cards.

Speaking,the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Chris Isiguzo,commended Yiaga Africa for the initiative adding that it showed a sense of commitment to ensuring a credible election.

“This is a very crucial election that has the capacity to make or mar the corporate existence of our beloved country, but we believe that by the time we go through this democratic process that we are going to emerge even stronger as a country,” he said.

Isiguzo said the media remained highly strategic in the electoral process and urged them not to encourage the dissemination of fake news, misinformation and disinformation.

He also advised journalists not to allow political actors take advantage of them and to also not pander to their whims at any time.

”We must therefore via our reportage ensure that we promote development journalism,” he said.

Also speaking,Ms Ladi Bala, the National President of National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), said journalists had critical roles to play in the electoral process as Nigeria election is a project that should be placed above any other issues.

Bala said the 2023 general election would define the future of Nigeria, saying that as critical stakeholders, journalists should play their role well in an unbiased way.

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Tinubu Assures Investors Nigeria Is Open for Business, Welcomes Coca-Cola’s $1bn Plan

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By Francis Wilfred 

President Bola Tinubu has assured local and international investors that Nigeria remains open for business, saying his administration is implementing reforms aimed at creating a more predictable, competitive and investment-friendly environment.

Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, at the 75th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) in Abuja on Monday, the President said the government is addressing key challenges facing businesses under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Our message to investors, both Nigerian and international, is clear: Nigeria is open for business,” Tinubu said,

He noted that reliable infrastructure, efficient logistics, access to foreign exchange, stable regulations and a supportive tax system are critical to attracting investment and expanding production.

According to Yomi Odunuga, the President said ongoing economic reforms are designed to build a more productive and competitive economy, reduce dependence on imports, strengthen local manufacturing and create jobs for Nigerians.

Tinubu welcomed the Coca-Cola System’s proposed $1 billion investment in Nigeria over five years, announced in 2024, describing it as a strong vote of confidence in the country’s economy. 

He said the administration is focused not only on the volume of investment attracted but also on its impact on employment, skills development, technology transfer and local sourcing.

“We are interested not only in the amount of capital that comes into Nigeria, but in what that capital does here,” he said.

The President also praised NBC’s continued expansion of production capacity, including new production lines in Oyo and Kano states, describing such investments as vital to strengthening Nigeria’s industrial base.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving policies, infrastructure and regulations to support businesses, while urging the private sector to complement government efforts through investment, innovation and job creation.

Tinubu further highlighted the importance of human capital development, commending NBC’s Supply Chain Academy for training over 1,400 young Nigerians and supporting women’s empowerment and community development initiatives.

He urged investors to take advantage of opportunities across Nigeria, expressing confidence that the country can build a stronger economy driven by local production, exports and globally competitive industries.

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Kano  Governorship: Accord Party Governorship Candidate Gashash Getting More Endorsement From Kano Electorates.

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By Jabiru Hassan.


The movement for Democratic Protection and good governance (MDSG) declared it's full support to the Accord Party Governorship Candidate Ambassador Dr. Mukhtar Gashash in the forthcoming general elections.

In a chat with our correspondent in kano, the national president of the movement, Alhaji Dauda Mohammed Ali,  stated that it is time for the people of kano state to bring new steward who is seriously planning to transform the state with highest regard.

He expressed his confidence that Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash will do his best to ensure that kano state becomes more examplary at both sector without bias which is the task previous administrators failed to achieve.

Alhaji Dauda Mohammed Ali reiterated that " this time around, our movement is working day and night to make sure that Kano people mostly youths remained Committed to actualize real change in the state's politics, leadership and transformation under the Accord Party government".

He called on the people of kano state especially the eligible voters to vote Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash due to his Transformation plans for the progress of kano state and it's citizens at both Urban and rural settlements.

Responding to a question about Accord party's strength in kano state, Dauda Mohammed Ali disclosed that in today's democracy, competent candidates should be tipped for an elective positions not the popularity of the political parties stressing that Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash has been found to be the best option for kano state due to his track record on competency, transparency as a real democrat.
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Caught in the middle: Ortom’s silent dance between two camps.

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There are growing questions about where Mr. Samuel Ortom, a former Governor of Benue State and a prominent figure in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), truly stands politically ahead of 2027.

Ortom was a key figure in the divisions within the PDP before the 2023 general elections and was widely associated with support for Mr. Peter Obi, who finished third in that contest. More recently, however, he has publicly expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The latest discussion began after a visit by Mr. Peter Obi to Benue State. Reports indicate that a vehicle said to belong to Ortom was used to receive Obi at the Air Force Base airport in Makurdi. It is not clear who authorized the use of the vehicle, and Ortom has not commented publicly on the matter.

During the same visit, Obi was reportedly prevented from travelling to Yelewata, where he had intended to condole with families affected by violence. Obi’s team attributed the blockage to supporters of Governor Hyacinth Alia.

The Governor’s spokesman, Sir Tersoo Kula, denied any involvement by the Governor. He suggested the incident may have been staged to damage the Governor’s reputation, or that it could have resulted from disagreements within Obi’s own support base.

Ortom has not issued a statement clarifying his position on the 2027 elections or on the vehicle in question. Attempts to reach him were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.

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