The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said it was ready to allow Nigerians in Diaspora vote during elections, if the legal clauses restraining them were removed by the National Assembly.
The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, stated this when he received the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non Governmental Organizations, NGOs, at INEC headquarters on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that Nigerians in Diaspora should be allowed to vote because of their population, economic contribution as well as the fact that it is a global best practice of democracy.
Mr. Yakubu said that at the moment, the constitution required Nigerians above 18 years who are living abroad to return home to register at the time of registration and during elections.
“Allowing for Diaspora voting will enable Nigerians living abroad to register and vote in their countries of residence.
“However, for this to happen, several sections of the constitution and the Electoral Act have to be amended, to provide for the legal framework, to allow for registration and voting by citizens living in Diaspora.
“We have identified the areas requiring amendment and we will be happy at this meeting to discuss these proposed areas with the distinguished committee.
“Because election is a legal process, the first thing to do will be to provide the enabling legal environment for that to happen. So it has to start with the amendment of our constitution and the Electoral Act.
“Once this is done we can then look at other issues that arise- administrative, logistically, financial requirement of actualizing the voting.”
Mr. Yakubu said that the commission had already started the process of studying system of Diaspora voting from countries that practice it, including those within Africa.
Rose Oko, Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non Governmental Organisations, said that their visit was linked to requests by Nigerians in Diaspora who wanted to exercise their franchise and be part of the electoral process.
Source: NAN
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