The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu has today while at the Chatham House, London, United Kingdom, UK has explained why Nigerian diasporas cannot vote in the forthcoming general Election. The INEC boss was responding to a question about diaspora voting when he said though his office has subscribed to the idea of diaspora voting, the Nigeria law has made it almost impossible to achieve as it is a constitutional matter.
As it currently stands, the Nigerian law prescribed that, unless you reside in Nigeria, you cannot register for or vote under any circumstance, Yakubu explained.
However, he expressed optimism “I am absolutely convinced that it is only a matter of time before this will be achieved.”
He disclosed that his office maintains an open door policy which is open for all diaspora groups to suggest a meaningful and usable idea that will help the commission move to a greater height.
He revealed that there was an attempt to take the Diaspora voting Bill into the National Assembly and was thrown out for reasons explained by the lawmakers.
Efforts toward Legal Framework
Yakubu added that the issue of diaspora voting has been a conversation that triggers debate in Nigeria when thrown up which was again throw-up during the last constitutional review.
During the month of March 2022, the Nigerian lawmakers struck out the proposal for the diaspora to vote against the position of INEC when they affirmed they were ready.
The Nigeria Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, in September of the same year revealed it would continue to push for its inclusion in the voting process.
The INEC boss explained “Voting by those in the diaspora should be a settled issue and if you ask me, I will say you are preaching to the converted but the commission does not have the power to make it happen. The enabling law will have to be provided for it to happen,”
“Not just because of the remittances as people would argue, but because they are citizens and citizens must enjoy rights,” he added.
Yakubu revealed Nigeria has an estimated population of about 15-17 million of its citizens in the diaspora who according to available data from the World Bank and Budget office of Nigeria said they have injected about $60.22 billion in the last three years into the country’s economy.
Though not all of them have attained voting age as 18 years has remained the legal franchise power in Nigeria, the number which by estimate constitutes about 16-18% of the Nigerian voting strength of 93 million voters registered so far by the electoral umpire.
Being the INEC, boss, Yakubu was in the right place to talk about the Nigerian voting system to other countries, especially in the Chatham House.
Other influential Nigerians who went to Chatham House are; the presidential Aspirant of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu; his counterpart for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and that of the Labour Party, LP,
Peter Obi.
The Nigerian presidential election is billed to hold on 25th February 2023 where Nigerians would come out to vote for their leaders who will lead them in the next four years.
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