By Ere-ebi Agedah Imisi
Civic organisation Yiaga Africa has expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s declining voter turnout, warning that the persistent disengagement of young Nigerians poses a serious threat to the nation’s democratic health.
Despite its concern over voter apathy, Yiaga Africa affirmed that the official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC align with findings from its Process and Results Verification for Transparency, PRVT exercise.
According to a statement jointly signed by Dr. Asmau Maikudi, Chair of the 2025 Anambra Election Mission, and Samson Itodo, Yiaga Africa’s Executive Director, noted that the consistency between INEC’s official figures and PRVT estimates reinforces confidence in the credibility and transparency of the electoral process.
Using its PRVT methodology, Yiaga Africa deployed over 700 citizen observers across all 21 local government areas of the state, covering a statistically representative sample of 250 polling units.
The data-driven approach, it explained, allows independent verification of whether official results reflect votes cast at polling units.
“Had the official results been changed at the ward, LGA, or state collation centres, they would not have fallen within the Yiaga Africa estimated ranges. Because the official results fall within these ranges, voters and candidates should have confidence that the official outcome reflects ballots cast.
“Also, the persistent decline in turnout, especially among young Nigerians, raises serious questions about the health of our democracy,”
Yiaga Africa commended the people of Anambra State for their peaceful conduct and noted improvements in the organisation of the polls.
It praised security agencies and electoral officials for their professionalism and coordination, which contributed to a largely peaceful election day.
However, the group highlighted persisting challenges, including late opening of polling units with fewer than half starting on time and instances of vote-buying, which it described as a major threat to electoral integrity.
“This practice promotes electoral corruption, erodes equality in election competition, and undermines the legitimacy of electoral victory,” the statement noted.
The organisation urged INEC to address recurring logistical bottlenecks, while calling on political parties to end the commercialisation of elections and instead invest in initiatives that restore public trust and transparency in Nigeria’s democratic process.
