Following their election observation mission to Liberia, Yiaga Africa has called on the National Assembly to amend the 2022 Electoral Act to allow early voting for people rendering essential service.
The body also asked the National Assembly to make electronic transmission of results mandatory, including the upload of polling unit-level results and results sheets used at different levels of results collation.
Yiaga Africa also said the law should be amended to include pictures of candidates participating in every election.
Speaking at a press conference to unveil its report on the Election Study and Observation Mission (ESOM) to the Liberia 2023 General Elections, tagged: “Liberia 2023 Elections and Lessons for Nigeria,” the executive director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said political stakeholders should demonstrate a firm commitment to democracy and nation-building by upholding national values such as patriotism, integrity and public interest in electoral politics.
“INEC should review the format of ballot papers used in Nigeria elections to include photographs and names of candidates to improve the quality of electoral preferences and reduce invalidated votes.
“INEC and state electoral commissions should commit to greater transparency in election administration through proactive disclosure of election information and consistent application of election rules and guidelines.
“The National Assembly and INEC should amend the electoral legal framework (Electoral Act and INEC Guidelines) to introduce early voting to allow eligible voters on essential election duties, such as security personnel, INEC staff, election observers, journalists, etc., to vote at elections.
“The National Assembly should review the Electoral Act to address the ambiguities in the results collation and transmission process and the role of technology in the results management value chain.
“The National Assembly should strengthen the electoral law to make electronic transmission of results mandatory, including the upload of polling unit-level results and results sheets used at different levels of results collation,” Itodo said.
On the key findings and lessons for Nigeria, Yiaga Africa said patriotism and national purpose drive citizens’ participation in the electoral process.
“Based on preliminary results announced by the NEC, the turnout for the election is projected at over 70%. This impressive turnout was driven by a sense of patriotism and citizens’ commitment to a national purpose, which the mission noted in its observation and interaction with citizens and relevant stakeholders. Liberians displayed a special love for country over political ideologies, interests and affiliations.
Long-term investment in civic education and adopting transparent practices by the NEC produced a national consensus to ensure peaceful and credible elections, having experienced two devastating civil wars.
The high turnout affirms public trust in elections as a democratic accountability,” the report said.
On the unwavering commitment to transparency over the speedy conclusion of the process, Yiaga Africa said the mission observed a firm commitment to transparency on the part of the electoral commission in managing the results tallying process.
“At the polling places and tallying centres, the NEC officials prioritised the openness of the process over the speedy completion of the process. The NEC officials meticulously enforced counting and results tallying procedures. In addition, objections and queries raised by party agents and observers on inconsistencies of results or misapplication of rules were addressed promptly by NEC officials in line with detailed procedures enshrined in the electoral legal framework. In Liberia, the entire process is conducted in the full view of poll watchers, party agents and observers. Photocopies of each of the results were made available and shared with poll watchers and party agents before the results were entered into the tallying system and projected for everyone present to confirm that the results were consistent with the tally system entry.”
On the fidelity to rules and procedures, Yiaga Africa said the National Elections Commission (NEC) displayed high devotion to rules and procedures throughout the elections. Polling officials displayed excellent knowledge of the rules and enforced the guidelines at all election levels.
“In cases where the rules were flouted, the NEC rectified the issues expeditiously based on a detailed procedure outlined in the guidelines. This compliance with the rules ensures consistency and inspires public confidence in the electoral process,” it said.
Yiaga Africa said the format of ballot papers improves voting choices and reduces invalidated votes.
“ESOM observed the design of the ballot papers used for the Presidential and National Assembly elections, containing the party symbol as well as the names and pictures of the Presidential, Senate and the House of Representatives candidates. The format of the ballot papers provides multiple options for indicating a preferred choice. The NEC guidelines require voters to make a mark on the image of the candidate, party logo or square box on the ballot paper corresponding to the candidate of their choice. This format improved voters’ understanding of electoral preference, reducing the incidence of invalid votes.”