ANAMBRA ELECTION: NGO TO DEPLOY PVT TO MONITOR CREDIBILITY OF ANAMBRA GUBER POLL.

      A group, Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) has said it would deploy the Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology to ensure the fairness of the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State.

The group stated this in a media roundtable it held with some journalists in Awka, Wednesday.

The group’s head of training, Mr Paul James who spoke to journalists at the event said YIAGA would deploy 500 already trained election observers to polling units selected through a random sampling method to ensure that the process was fully monitored.

He also added that 27 local government coordinators would be in the various local government areas to monitor and coordinate the activities of the observers and ensure prompt transmission of information to the group’s data center which would be set up in Awka before the election.

He explained that PVT is an advanced election monitoring process that uses statistics and information communication technology to verify election results to ensure accurateness in election process.

James said through one of YIAGA’s platform,’ Watching the Vote’, the group would monitor pre-election process in the state and also monitor the actual election process and make data available to the electorate who seek information about the election.

He said the aim is to ensure that after Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC releases the result of the election, to ensure that it tallies with what was obtained in the field during the exercise.

“We will do Pre-election observation report, Election day preliminary statement and Election day verification Statement. Our data centre would be here in Awka and people can come and seek information from us, and it usually presents good evidence for politicians that want seek redress in court.

“PVT has been deployed in various countries of the world to monitor the election, and usually, when the results declared by the electoral body does not tally with what is on the ground, we raise the alarm.”

Cynthia Mbamalu, project manager for YIAGA told journalists that group came into existence in 2007 as an election observer group, and has also moved into youth advocacy and legislative consultancy.Stated that the job of the group does not cover the announcement of election results which she said is the sole responsibility of the electoral body.