Mahmood Yakubu, chairperson of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), says Nigeria’s quest for inclusive election is not
complete until there are provisions for diaspora voting.
Speaking on Tuesday at Chatham House in the United Kingdom,
Yakubu said there is a need to look into the necessary framework to ensure that
persons in the diaspora can participate in Nigeria’s elections.
“Voting by millions of Nigerians living outside the country
remains a recurrent issue for the commission. Nigeria is said to have one of
the largest diaspora communities in the world,” he said.
“Our quest for a fully inclusive electoral process in
Nigeria will not be complete as long as these Nigerians are unable to vote.
“However, the commission only acts in accordance with the
electoral legal framework, which remains the main reason why we cannot
implement diaspora voting for now.
“Both the 1999 constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act
provide that voters can only be registered and vote within the country. For
instance, section 77(2) of the constitution provides that ‘every citizen of
Nigeria, who has attained the age of eighteen years residing in Nigeria at the
time of the registration of voters for purposes of election to a legislative
house, shall be entitled to be registered as a voter for that election’.
“Sections 132(5) and 178(5) tie the eligibility to register
and vote in executive elections (presidential and governorship) to the
requirement of residency as in the case of legislative houses.
“The commission hopes
that these legal obstacles will be cleared at some point to enable Nigerians in
the diaspora to vote in elections.”
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