June 20 Poll: Yiaga Africa Tests New Electoral Act with 250 Polling Unit Observers in Ekiti

By Joseph Sunday 

Ahead of the June 20, 2026 governorship election, Yiaga Africa is set to test the new Electoral Act 2026 by deploying 250 polling unit observers across Ekiti State, even as the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ekiti State Council, pledged to intensify its fight against fake news and quack journalism.

Speaking at a Civil Society and Media Roundtable organised by Yiaga Africa in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, NUJ Chairman, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi, said the union has set up a special task force to identify and weed out unaccredited reporters during the election. 

He noted that while online accreditation is ongoing, physical screening will also be conducted at the NUJ Secretariat in collaboration with INEC officials.

“Anyone found not to be a bonafide journalist will not be issued accreditation materials. We are confronting fake news and sensationalism head-on because the media is a critical stakeholder in credible elections,” Babatuyi said.

He urged journalists to prioritize safety and professional conduct, adding that Ekiti has a record of incident-free elections for media practitioners. 

He also cautioned the public to verify information through credible platforms, noting that social media abuse remains a major driver of misinformation.

Yiaga Africa, on its part, unveiled its observation plan for the poll. Head of Knowledge Management and Learning, Safiya Bichi, disclosed that the organisation will deploy 272 observers: 250 stationary observers to sampled polling units across the 16 LGAs, and 22 roving observers to monitor movement between polling units.

Bichi explained that observer deployment will be proportional to LGA size and voting strength. “If Ado Ekiti LGA is bigger than Oye LGA, we will station more observers in Ado Ekiti. This is to ensure our sampling method is representative,” she said.

The observers will monitor the entire election day process, from arrival of officials and accreditation, to voting, counting, and collation at both polling unit and LGA levels. Yiaga Africa will also track result uploads to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV.

The observation will use Yiaga Africa’s PRVT — Process and Results Verification for Transparency methodology. 

According to Bichi, PRVT uses statistics and ICT to independently assess the quality of the process and verify official results.

“We randomly select 250 polling units using statistical sampling to eliminate bias. Each local government gets a proportional number of observers based on its polling units and registered voters,” she explained.

Observers will send coded reports via SMS to a central database, using structured checklists and critical incident forms. The coded system allows Yiaga Africa to analyze data in real time while keeping observation content secure.

Unlike traditional observation, PRVT allows the group to estimate vote shares for each party within a margin of error, based on results from sampled polling units. “We’re not deploying to all polling units, so we report in percentages with a margin of error. It’s a tested methodology we have adopted for over 20 years running and which has worked for us as an organization,” Bichi added.

Bichi noted that the Ekiti 2026 election will be the first to be conducted under the new Electoral Act 2026, making it a key test ahead of the 2027 general elections. 

She called on INEC, security agencies, and political parties to maintain neutrality and shun violence.

“Elections are not do-or-die. We expect professionalism from INEC and security agencies, and peaceful conduct from APC, PDP, and other parties,” she said.

Also speaking, Executive Director of Disability Not A Barrier Initiative, Olajide Funsho Benjamin, urged persons with disabilities to vote and demand that INEC provide assistive materials like Braille ballot guides and magnifying glasses.

Both NUJ and Yiaga Africa stressed that their role is not “fault-finding” but to strengthen the process. “We are interested in making things work,” Bichi said. “Our observation will help reflect on challenges and project what to expect in 2027.”