Diaspora Voting: Hope Ahead 2027 With Leadership Of Nigeria –Ezeokenwa

FELIX NWANERI writes on the move by the 10th National Assembly to ensure passage of the Diaspora Voting Right Bill that will empower Nigerians abroad to participate in the nation’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general election

The quest by Nigerians living abroad to participate in the country’s electoral process has been a recurring decimal even as more African countries continue to give their nationals in the Diaspora the opportunity to have a say in what happens in the polity back home.

Section 77 (2) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) states that “every citizen of Nigeria, who has attained the age of 18 years at the time of the registration of voters for the purposes of election shall be entitled to be registered as a voter for that election” but Diaspora Nigerians have continually been shut out from the country’s electoral process.

Unofficial estimate of Nigerians living abroad puts the figure at about 15 million but United Nations (UN) statistics puts it at 1.7 million. No doubt, the UN figure is grossly underestimated, but many believe that it was time Nigerians living abroad are factored into the country’s electoral process given their contributions to the economy.

Diaspora Nigerians not only contribute over $20 billion annually to the nation’s economy through foreign remittances, they also contribute through investment in productive activities that support economic growth and job creation.

According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), remittances from Nigerians worldwide reached an unprecedented $553 million in July 2024, a remarkable 130 per cent increase from the corresponding period in 2023.

Also, most new businesses that have made Nigeria the largest economy in Africa and one of the most diversified in the last decade are start-ups by diaspora Nigerians returning with better entrepreneurial skills, honed while working for top companies and institutions overseas.

Despite these contributions, it has been a long wait for Nigerians living abroad to participate in elections back home. Many had expected that the wait by this group of Nigerians to be part of the electoral process would be over in 2015, but the hope was dashed.

The then Goodluck Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration hyped diaspora voting ahead of the 2015 general election but it never materialised.

It was a similar experience in 2022 as the 9th National Assembly voted overwhelmingly against the “Bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for Diaspora Voting, and for related Matters.” Out of 469 federal lawmakers (Senate and House of Representatives), only 390 were present during plenary during voting on the issue.

While 87 votes were counted in support of diaspora voting, 269 votes countered the bill. A breakdown of the figures showed that 29 senators and 58 members of the House of Representatives voted in support of the bill, while 62 senators and 240 representatives voted against.

While advocates of diaspora voting right, who seem not deterred by unsuccessful attempts in the past have continued to push for expansion of the political space to allow Nigerians abroad to participate in the electoral process, the 10th National Assembly seems committed to break the jinx.

The 10th Senate gave an indication to this in November 2023, when the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, while speaking during a virtual diaspora dialogue, pointed out the resolve of the National Assembly to reconsider the diaspora voting right and other related issues affecting Nigeria in the diaspora.

Before then, the Senate had in a communiqué issued at the end of its retreat in Ikot Ikpene, Akwa-Ibom State resolved to among other things, amend the Electoral Act to allow for diaspora voting to enable citizens on essential service and others abroad to vote at least in presidential elections.

The House of Representatives, on its part, has assured Nigerians of its commitment to ensure passage of the Diaspora Voting Right Bill before it. The bill is sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Tajueen Abass, and the lawmaker representing Sabon Gari Federal Constituency, Kaduna State, Sadiq Abdullahi.

The speaker, who underscored the urgency of the bill and the need to implement it by the next election cycle in 2027, is of the view that “it is time for this vision to become a mission.”

He added: “We need to ensure that Nigerians abroad are not only contributing economically but also have their rights protected, including the right to vote.” Abdullahi, had while leading the debate on the bill’s general principles, argued that section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) grants citizens the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and opinion.

Capture of the political space cannot in any way be contested until we unlock the kind of power and influence that the Diaspora community has

He noted that regardless of the locations of Nigerians, it is their fundamental right to exercise civic responsibility in choosing leaders for the various arms of government in their country.

He further argued that Nigerians in the diaspora contribute financially to the country through remittances, and as such, should be part of the electioneering process, whether or not they live on the shores of Nigeria.

His words “It is widely believed that diaspora remittances have contributed remarkably to the development of Nigeria. Nigerians in the diaspora make considerable contributions to the Nigerian economy through huge financial inflow. Sadly, existing laws in Nigeria have not provided voting rights to Nigerians in the diaspora.

“Consequently, the agitation for voting rights for Nigerians in diaspora has continued to gain momentum. It is a practice that allows for holistic inclusiveness in a democratic society. Section 1 of the bill guarantees the voting rights of Nigerian citizens living outside Nigeria.

The section provides that elections to be conducted under this Act, if passed, shall include elections in which the Commission (Independent National Electoral Commission) is empowered by law. “Section 4 provides that this Act, if passed, shall not invalidate existing laws in Nigeria.

It only provides a platform for Nigerians in the diaspora to participate in elections conducted in Nigeria.” While the belief is that the realisation of Diaspora voting will not only strengthen the bond between Nigerians abroad and those at home, but will facilitate effective mobilisation and utilisation of the enormous expertise and resources in the diaspora for the nation’s development, it has also been advanced that Nigeria cannot rank below the 28 African countries that have approved voting right for their citizens abroad.

Those, who hold these views, maintained that Nigerians should not be discriminated against politically in their own country on the ground that they reside abroad.

Members of this political school maintained that given the enormity of the potential voting bloc from the diaspora, it is incontestable that it will make a difference in national elections, particularly the presidential election.

Perhaps, it is against these backdrops that some analysts are of the view the Diaspora community qualifies as Nigeria’s 37th state hence justice demands a voting right law, which will serve as a step to official recognition of citizens abroad as an integral segment of the polity.

Despite the arguments in favour of diaspora voting right, some stakeholders are of view that it should not be a priority for now, as it will not benefit Nigeria or Nigerians.

While this position is predicated mostly on cost implication, it was also argued that for votes from abroad to be legal in Nigerian elections, every Nigerian abroad must be afforded the same opportunity to vote, not a situation where those in America, Canada and UK are given the opportunity to vote, while those in African countries and Asia are denied such opportunity.

There is also the issue of section 134(2) of the Constitution, which talks about the threshold for declaration of winners, particularly for presidential elections. This constitutional provision, talks about majority of votes and spread – a quarter of the votes in two third of the states.

The question that arises over the section is: Will diaspora citizens constitute another state for the purpose of presidential elections?

However, the incumbent chairman of INEC, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, has repeatedly argued that citizens of Nigeria living outside the country make considerable contributions to the economy through Diaspora remittances and should be able to vote, as Diaspora voting is consistent with global best practices His words:

“INEC is committed to providing Nigerians living outside the country the opportunity to have a say in who become our leaders at various levels.

I hope that the legal and constitutional obstacles to voting by Nigerians in Diaspora will soon be removed so that Nigerians, irrespective of where they live around the world would have the opportunity to vote in future elections.”

A former Minister of Education and Founder of FixPolitics, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesil, who believes that diaspora voting falls within the triangular pillars of democracy, maintained the diaspora community cannot be disengaged from the country’s political process..

Highlighting the significant resources the diaspora community possesses – knowledge, networks, and financial resources – all of which are crucial for development but remain largely untapped due to their exclusion from the political process, she said:

“The reality of our political anomaly is that the supply side of our politics within the political class, have a monopoly hold on the politics and democracy, not just of Nigeria, but of many other African countries.”

She added: “And that monopoly capture of the political space cannot in any way be contested until we unlock the kind of power and influence that the Diaspora community has. So, the Diaspora community cannot be disengaged from the country’s political process.”

No doubt, it has been a long wait for Nigerians living abroad to participate in elections back home despite their commitment to the growth of the economy, but it is left to be seen how the 10th National Assembly intends to scale the hurdles that impeded passage of the Diaspora Voting Right Bill by previous assemblies that the judgement of the Supreme Court does not call for celebration.

For me, it calls for sober reflection. It calls for us to close ranks within the party. It calls for unity. It calls for a renewed sense of purpose for members of the party. And like I said in various interviews I’ve granted, we’re talking about our political party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance. We are all brothers. It’s one united family.

The only problem I have, as I’ve always said is if Edozie Njoku feels intensely committed to APGA, then the first step is to lure him to join the party formally.

Because I’ve consistently maintained, from all verifications that we’ve conducted, he’s not a registered member of the party. That is for Chief Edozie Njoku. Now, there are some members of the party who we are genuinely confused.

I do not blame any member of the party who decides to follow Njoku. INEC is a regulatory agency empowered by law to monitor the activities of political parties. On July 9, 2024, INEC updated its website and published a fresh list of purported members of the National Working Committee of APGA.

So, it would not be out of place for a member of the party to follow those that INEC has published as national officers of the party even though we tried as much as possible to correct that anomaly. But I’m not holding it against any genuine member of the party who was confused or misled by all these issues.

The most important thing is that the Supreme Court has now returned what I call clarity and certainty to APGA. Now, we know the national leadership of APGA. Now, we know that those who were elected on May 31, 2023 are legitimately in office.

And what we are doing now is to vigorously pursue a reconciliation process that tries to bring back everybody within the fold. Remember, in 2025, we are facing a major election in the only state we are controlling.

And there is nobody who enters a war divided that such particular war does any good. So, for us, the most important thing is that we must head into that war as one united big family.

Any moment from now, we are going to call probably a National Executive Committee meeting, and we are going to thrash all these issues. We are going to set up committees, we are going to reach out to individuals.

The most important thing is, for me, it is about APGA and so, for us, we look at the manifesto of the party, we look at the ideologies.

If there are some persons that we have identified in the course of this fight, whose sense of purpose aligns with the core mantra and ideologies of the party, the mantra of leaving no one behind, we will do everything to woo that person to join our ranks.

The most important thing is that we’ll continue to preach the gospel of APGA to make sure that the APGA message resonates around the entire country. That’s our only mission. So, there is no celebration. It is time for us to close ranks and move forward.

What concrete strategies will you implement to expand the party’s reach and appeal to voters across Nigeria beyond its traditional base of SouthEast, and how does APGA plan to position itself as a viable alternative?

One thing that informed my coming on board as a national chairman of APGA was the outcome of the 2023 general election. If you recall, that election was not so good for our party in terms of the fact that we lost some of our strongholds to the opposition.

But then there was one very interesting and significant statistics that when we went back to the drawing board, we saw from the election that there was increased participation and interest from young persons.

Some persons put the demographics or the statistics at about 55 per cent of those that voted during the 2023 general election, where young persons aged between 18 and say about 49, 50 years.

Now, what the party did was to react to that quest by young people, was to show that they’ve listened to the young persons of Nigeria and that they see that there is that increased awareness and the urge for them to participate in the decision making of their country.

That was what led to my election as a national chairman. And probably some say that I’m the youngest national chairman of a political party in the country.

Well, I’ve not looked duly at that statistics but for us, when we came into office, we designed what we call the manifesto for us to take APGA from the present level to the next positive level. And that’s what led to what I call the DRIVE agenda.

What we are doing now is to vigorously pursue a reconciliation process that tries to bring back everybody within the fold. Remember, in 2025, we are facing a major election in the only state we are controlling

It was an acronym for discipline because we looked at certain issues of indiscipline within the party. We looked at the possibility of repositioning the party and rebranding the party as a youth friendly party.

We looked at the possibility of having an inclusive leadership. And then we tried as much as possible to make visible the achievements of the party and then the expansion.

That is the DRIVE. But I’m going to just talk about the visibility in the sense of the trajectory of development that Anambra State has witnessed from 2006, when the first governor of Anambra on the platform of APGA, Mr Peter Obi, was elected.

If you look at his achievements in office, if you look at his successor, Chief Willie Obiano, and ultimately Prof. Soludo, you will see, and I stand to be corrected, that maybe it may just be one or two states that have witnessed that trajectory of development.

And I say that people are not looking in the right direction. It is not as a result of those individuals. It is a result of the ideology of our political party. And what we are saying is entrust us with the affairs of this country that we can do better. Come and see the model of governance that has been shown in Anambra State for the past 18 years or so.

And so, for us, it is the mission for us to want to show the progress the party has made and as much as possible and try to expand the party. As you mentioned, the party has its appeal around the South-East. And you will not, of course, isolate that from the events that led to its registration between 2002 and 2003.

But for us, we have crossed that Rubicon. It is time for us to open up the party to our brothers across the country to say, look, APGA is the answer to the problems that are facing this country. We are more than ever renewed and reinvigorated to vigorously pursue the DRIVE agenda of my administration in APGA.

One of the major issues in the judgement delivered by Justice Omotosho was an order of mandamus that INEC must recognize you as the chairman of the party. Where are we now with INEC?

Immediately the judgement was delivered. we took steps to obtain the certified true copy of both the judgement of the court and the judgement order, and we wrote to the commission. We duly attached those both documents.

You talked about the 2025 governorship election in Anambra State but we are hearing that Soludo is not providing the solution he said he was going to give. What kind of conversations do you have with the governor as regards governance in the state?

Let me first of all start by correcting a misconception. Incidentally, that misconception is not supported by verifiable facts and evidence on the ground. One funny thing about opposition and incidentally, that’s the beauty of democracy, is that’s what we call freedom of expression.

And so of course, the majority will have their way, while the minority will have their say. We have just very few tiny and discordant voices saying or making the position that you just said.

In Anambra State today, if you go there, there is this popular mantra that the solution is here. When you hear that saying, it is not just because people will just want to go about saying the solution is here.

It is because there are verifiable facts and evidence of the monumental achievement of the present APGA administration in Anambra State.

From the area of road infrastructure, transformation of the health sector and transformation of the education sector. I do not even agree with your position.

Because even the opposition in Anambra State, as you said, the only thing you will hear them say is, oh, that the governor is probably not just like you say or the governor is this, the governor is that. But nobody has come out to say that the governor has not performed.

When you put it into context or in trying to contrast the previous administration and what is obtainable in even other states, in less than three years in office, a governor with dwindling resources of revenue, inflation and everything, Governor Soludo has constructed well over 500 kilometres of roads, criss-crossing the entire local governments of the state. There are even local governments before that have not seen one square meter of tarred road.

Now, you have accessible roads getting to those places. You see the revamping of the entire health sector in the state; the free education policy, employment of over 10,000 teachers, the access to free maternal healthcare.

I think it will be a very big misconception to make that position about Anambra State and the government of Prof. Charles Soludo, who incidentally like I said, anywhere I go, I say proudly that he’s our greatest asset. When I talked about the visibility, part of the visibility that we want to give to him is to show to other states that this is what is going on in the state.

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