ACORN: February 2019 ROUND UP: Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)

ACORN: February 2019 ROUND UP

Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)

 

Strategic Engagement
·         The Y-PAC project program officer of CITAD attended a 3-day master training on election observation organised by YAF from 2nd to 4th February 2019 at Dennis hotel, Abuja. The aim of the training was to equip its Y-PAC partners with necessary skills so as to go back to their respective states and step down to their observers of the general election. Checklist was developed during the training and CASE app was also introduced as the two tools agreed to be used for election observations. CITAD and CAJA were asked to collaborate in stepping down the training and coordinating the general election observations for the observers in Kano state and it was agreed by the two organizations that CAJA to lead the process as state coordinator while CITAD to provide two out of three supervisors for the observations which are to come from the three senatorial districts of the state.

·         A 2- day step down training was conducted for the fifty seven observers and two ICPC representatives from 12th to 13th February, 2019 at Nassarawa Guest palace, Kano where CITAD in collaboration with CAJA handled the training for the two days. Modules of the master training were used for the step down.  The participants were trained on how to use CASE app and SMS in reporting election malpractices and general conduct of the elections as well as using the Checklist for the detail report which is to be submitted after the election to the supervisors and to the coordinator at last for final submission to YAF through ICPC.

·         As directed during the master training, on Monday 11 February, CITAD went to meet with Kano ICPC commissioner after several communications on emails and phone, where Ibrahim Nuhu met with two ICPC members and discussed the step down training and the needs of collaboration with members of ICPC in carrying out the training and election observations as designed by YAF.

·         Presidential and federal legislatives elections was held on Saturday 23 February, 2019 and the fifty six observers were posted across the six local governments (2 in each senatorial district) and to different wards to observe the general conduct of the elections. They all went, observed and reported appropriately using the above tools though the effective supervision of the three supervisors and the coordinator and then submitted their checklists from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 February to CITAD office as requested and were all paid a stipend of thirteen thousand naira (N13,000) as allowances for the exercise.

·         The three supervisors wrote a report of their supervision and sent to the state coordinator as he is to send the final report to YAF. The checklists were handed over to the coordinator by CITAD which he then handed to ICPC office in Kano as designed.

·         The election observation was done in peace and neutralism since all the non-partisan observers are not being harmed or harmed others as we have not seen or heard any form of violence during the processes neither from observers nor from supervisors.

·          The only challenge we had was the postponement of the general election by INEC after most of our observers already reached their far polling units for observation and spent their little resources without the purpose which we had to sympathise with them even though it was not from our own end. We then encouraged them to be at their various polling units on the day re-scheduled by INEC, Saturday 23 February which they did as early as possible and conducted the observations as required of them.

Cross Programme Coordination and Communications