Ahead of the resumption of legislative duties, the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has pledged its support for the Diaspora Voting Right Bill, now awaiting a public hearing when the National Assembly reconvenes in the third week of September.
The bill co-sponsored by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and the lawmaker representing Sabon Gari Federal Constituency, Kaduna State, Sadiq Abdullahi, passed the second reading stage on the floor of the Green Chamber on July 9, 2024.
The bill seeks to amend the Electoral Act, 2022 to provide an opportunity for Nigerians in the diaspora to vote in future elections.
Expressing support for the bill, the Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Oluwole Oke, said diaspora voting was operational in other countries of the world, including some in Africa, stressing that Nigeria had come of age to embrace it.
The Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency, Osun State representative said, “We will support the passage of the bill into law. These people are Nigerians wherever they may be. Diaspora voting is not new because we have it in other climes as well.
“With the state of our development, Nigerians abroad can vote from the four corners of their homes in future elections.
In a telephone interview on Monday, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in the United Kingdom, Mr Abraham Jimawo, noted that the agitation for diaspora voting dates back to the botched Third Republic, adding that the current parliament should be supported to make the bill a reality.
Jimawo, who doubles as the Chairman of the Senator Monday Okpebholo Support Group in the UK and Ireland, said, “We have been championing this cause for a very long time. As a member of the then Nigerian National Union, we were at the forefront of the actualisation of the voting rights of Nigerians living in the diaspora.
“As a group, we fully support this. Nigerians should be able to vote from every part of the world. It will interest you to know that even some smaller African countries have since inculcated this in their electioneering system.
“We cannot understand how Nigeria, seen as the mother and giant of Africa, is still not able to provide a platform for those living outside the country to participate in electioneering processes. However, it is not too late though to kick-start the process.”
He also called on the legislative and executive arms to do their parts in seeing to the passage and assent of the bill.
“We urge the National Assembly to do the needful and also President Bola Tinubu to do his part when hopefully, the Act of the National Assembly on the matter is presented before him for assent. If this is done, both the President and the National Assembly members would have written their names in gold,” he added.
Similarly, the founder and National Chairman, Diaspora for the Peoples Democratic Party in the United States, Mrs Victoria Pamugo, lamented the plight of Nigerians abroad who have not been able to cast their votes in the past despite the contribution to the nation’s economy.
She said, “We are united as members of the PDP in the diaspora to support this laudable bill by the House of Representatives. It does not make sense to deny Nigerians living overseas the right to choose their leaders back home.
“On average, we contribute about $20,000 to the Nigerian economy annually. Why collect our money if you are not ready to give us the right to vote as Nigerians?
“This is one of the issues we raised in 2022. It is laughable that with our size and prestige as Africa’s leading light in development, Nigerians in the diaspora can’t still cast their ballot during elections. The time to change this narrative is now.”
Meanwhile, despite the excitement generated by the proposed legislation, the Chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, has expressed doubt about the possibility of Nigerians voting outside the shores of their country without some difficulties.
Speaking on the matter, Balogun, who represents Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency, Lagos State, said there was a need to separate wishes from possibilities.
He said, “It is not just about a bill before the House. What is the workability of this proposition? It is not about whether the bill is good or not. What is important is the workability.
“It is good to wish that the dollar should equal N20 but how is it going to work? In elections, you must have your agents, people who will be at the polling booths. How many booths are we going to have in those countries? Where will these people vote in those countries?”
The bill now awaits a public hearing preparatory to its third final passage to become an Act of the National Assembly.
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