Stakeholders at a town hall meeting in New York, United States, have renewed calls on the National Assembly to pass the Diaspora Voting Bill, arguing that Nigerians living abroad should be allowed to participate in the country’s electoral process.
They also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to begin preparations for a dedicated register of eligible Nigerians in the diaspora ahead of future elections.
The demands were made at the third edition of the News Central Diaspora Town Hall in New York, held under the theme, “The Diaspora Voting Bill: Promise, Politics and the Path Forward.”
The forum brought together political actors, diaspora advocates, community leaders, academics, professionals and young Nigerians to examine the political, constitutional, technological and financial implications of extending voting rights to Nigerians residing outside the country.
President and Founder of Save Nigeria Group USA, Stephen Osemwegie, urged the National Assembly to pass the bill, questioning whether political considerations were responsible for the prolonged delay in advancing diaspora voting legislation.
Osemwegie argued that Nigerians should not lose their right to participate in choosing the country’s leaders simply because they live outside Nigeria.
He also questioned whether some politicians were reluctant to support diaspora voting because of uncertainty over how Nigerians abroad would vote.
Special Envoy on Gender Affairs Education to the United Nations and Peace Ambassador, Edward Ilechukwu, said the debate over diaspora voting had continued for too long.
He called on INEC to establish a dedicated diaspora voters’ register as part of efforts to create a formal framework for Nigerians living abroad to participate in elections.
Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Europe and Coordinating Chairman of NIDO Worldwide, Chibuzo Ubochi, described the campaign for diaspora voting as a long-running struggle marked by years of advocacy but limited progress.
Ubochi questioned whether there was sufficient political will to translate years of discussions into legislation and implementation.
“We are no less Nigerians because we live abroad,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to move beyond repeated discussions and pursue concrete legislative and institutional action, particularly as the country approaches another electoral cycle.
The NIDO leader said his organisation had separately called for a clear timetable for implementing diaspora voting ahead of the 2027 elections.
Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, said the Nigerian diaspora constituted a significant population whose participation could influence the country’s political landscape if granted voting rights.
He urged Nigerians abroad to become more politically conscious and deliberate about the type of leadership and policies they want for Nigeria.
The meeting also examined the economic contribution of Nigerians living abroad.
Professor Jelili Adebiyi, Associate Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Leaders of Africa Institute, highlighted the importance of diaspora remittances to Nigerian households and the wider economy.
Participants, however, argued that the economic contributions of Nigerians abroad should be complemented by political inclusion and a mechanism through which they could participate in decisions affecting the country.
Publisher of The Diaspora Today Magazine, Abdulrasheed Abubakar, called for greater transparency in diaspora data while questioning whether the campaign for diaspora voting was being driven primarily by broader national interests or individual interests.
The town hall also considered practical challenges associated with implementing diaspora voting, including voter registration, identity verification, electoral infrastructure, funding and the capacity of electoral authorities to conduct elections across different countries.
The New York meeting was the third diaspora-focused town hall organised by News Central and comes amid renewed advocacy for greater participation by Nigerians abroad in the country’s democratic process.
The National Assembly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment on diaspora voting during the 2022 constitutional amendment process. Another diaspora voting bill reportedly progressed to second reading before being rejected in November 2024.
