Nigerians in diaspora may be allowed to vote

Abuja, Nigeria – Nigerians who live outside the country may be allowed to vote during future elections in their country. At the moment, Nigerians in the diaspora are not allowed to vote. But a Speaker of the House of Representatives is recommending an amendment to the Constitution so that citizens outside the country can cast their votes during elections.

Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, said that constitutional amendment is needed in order to allow Nigerians in the diaspora to vote. He made the statement at the Diaspora Voting Stakeholders Workshop in Abuja.

Gbajabiamila said that the people in the diaspora have as much a stake in the present and future of Nigeria as those who lived in the country and as such should participate in the exercise.

He said, “Nigerians abroad use their resources to develop businesses and support family members here at home; they invest in their communities and support national development, so it is not strange that they are seeking to participate in the electoral process. But, before allowing diaspora voting, there is a need to plan well by first understanding the nuances, intricacies and the hurdles in front, before considering diaspora voting if Nigeria will get it right.”

“I was the principal officer when this bill came up in the 7th assembly and I shut Nigeria in diaspora voting bill down. I did that for reasons the house came to understand; the language of the constitution is black and white and it states that you can only vote if you are resident in Nigeria. So, bringing a bill for diaspora voting at that time was a wrong move because you cannot use a bill to amend the constitution and it was on that basis that we could not take that bill.”
“I am not proud of it but it was a necessity and someone had to take responsibility. I am for diaspora voting, but all I am saying is that we have to do it right, so for that bill to stand, the constitution has to be amended first.’’

Although, Gbajabiamila tabled his concerns about the readiness of the country for diaspora voting. He explained that there is a need to check if Nigeria was ready for diaspora voting because the elections conducted here in the country come with a lot of issues. “Our elections here are not yet perfect, so how do we deal with diaspora voting? Here, we consistently have litigation after elections,” he said.

“There are issues with diaspora voting, for instance, which of the elections will they participate in and which court will they eventually go to in case of litigation after elections?”

“The topic of diaspora voting has, within a short period of time, become a matter of intense public debate. It causes us to confront the simple, unavoidable reality that this is a subject matter for which we must find resolution within the shortest possible time,” he said.