Despite Nigeria’s huge diaspora population, the country is lagging behind other smaller African nations in its quest to institutionalise diaspora voting in the electoral system.
Nigerians in the diaspora constitute a sizeable chunk of the Nigerian population and majority of them play active role in the quest for good governance in the country.
Experts believe that if inserted into the constitution, diaspora voting could alter the political system for good, because it would enable more enlightened voters who could make informed decisions due to the environment they reside in.
While citizens of more than 40 African countries such as South Africa, Rwanda, Mozambique, Malawi, Chad and Algeria enjoy the right to vote in national elections, while living abroad, it is not the same for millions of Nigerians living in other countries.
In the last decade, there have been attempts by federal lawmakers to amend the 1999 Constitution to give way for diaspora voting but the exercise has not seen the light of day.
In the run–up to the 2023 general election, Nigeria’s Senate voted to reject changes to the constitution to allow citizens living abroad to vote in national elections. Only 29 senators of the 92 supported provision to allow Nigerians abroad to vote in national polls.
Before the Senate’s decision, expectations were high among many Nigerians and civil society organisations that the constitution would be amended to give way for diaspora voting, until such hope was dashed.
This comes despite Nigeria raking in over $20 billion in 2023 from diaspora remittances, which is a third of the entire flows to sub-Saharan Africa for the year, according to the latest World Bank Migration and Development Brief 40.
The report further stated that remittance flows to Sub-Saharan Africa reached $54 billion in 2023, of which Nigeria accounted for 35.19percent.
These remittances supplement meagre household incomes, which chop up significant parts of the economy, children school fees, houses are built, rents and the sick are treated in hospital.
Experts say without them, the multi-dimensional poverty which affects more than 133 million Nigerians would be worse.
About 17 million Nigerians are living in the diaspora, according to a recent report by the World Bank. The recent World Migration reports shows that over 400,000 Nigerians live in the UK as of 2020, and 2023 reports show over 300,000 visa applications to the UK were approved in 2023.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, 255,000 visa applications to the US were approved according to the British High Commission in Nigeria.
Diaspora voting could invigorate Nigeria’s electoral process
Diaspora voting is one of the key electoral reform demands which civil society organisations believe may enhance the country’s democracy and electoral processes going forward.
Many experts believe that for the country to join the league of other countries that practise democracy, they must reconsider diaspora voting.
For many, it is long-overdue, especially considering the huge number of Nigerians living abroad, the impact it would have on the country’s electoral system, especially now that voter apathy is more pronounced in Nigeria.
Many believe if the diaspora Nigerians are good enough to validate politicians’ ambitions, why are they not good enough to vote? They are enlightened, are abreast of the issues at home, and need little or no persuasion to come out and vote.
Read also: Senate to consider diaspora voting during constitution review
“The average Nigerian voter in this clime is not well exposed to make informed electoral decision and the political class is cashing on the deficiency to exploit the process and the system.
“With diaspora Voting, more informed decisions would be made and the political elite would be more careful in making unrealistic campaign promises during electioneering,” Kunle Okuade, political scientist said.
In Nigeria voter turnout has declined significantly since 2007 when 57.54 per cent voted. Out of 93.47 million registered voters, a mere 24.9 million or 27 per cent voted in 2023, the lowest since 1999 when the turnout was 34.74 percent.
What we see now is that many elected public officials are elected with less than 10 percent of votes in Nigeria, including state governors.
Experts say with these few votes many elected public officials, including state governors lack legitimacy. They said it was the fundamental right of the diaspora compatriots to vote like other Nigerians. The group is too large to be kept out of the process that will produce the leader of their country.
Similarly, stakeholders believe that diaspora voters’ participation will improve the low turnout of voters that have characterised elections in the country; noting that adding diaspora vote could improve this dismal profile and enrich the democratic process.
“Therefore, every effort should be made to incorporate diaspora voting, including studying the template of countries that incorporate overseas voting in their electoral system.
“The technology could also be deployed. If it comes on stream, diaspora voting can be concluded earlier than the main ballot. This will give electoral officials enough time to tidy up the ballots and prepare for the main election,” Thomas Oke, a historian, said.
Speaking on the issue, Adekunle Ayoola, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a political scientist, who lives in Poland, said such group of Nigerians that are so large and educated should not be ignored.
According to him, “The contributions of Nigerians in the diaspora to the stability and growth of the national economy could not be overemphasised as they remitted as much as $25bn in 2019. Saying that people contributing this much to the national growth of the country should be allowed to have a say in its governance is not fair.
“The diaspora constitutes a large chunk of highly educated professionals and skilled labour spread across the world with potential to influence different sectors and organisations across the world, thereby using their global exposure to positively impact a country’s development.”
Renewed push for diaspora voting ahead 2027
Over 115 countries in the world have some form of system which allows their citizens in other parts of the world to still vote during elections in their home countries, stakeholder say the country is ripe enough for such and diaspora voting was crucial for inclusiveness.
Ahead of the 2027 general election, federal lawmakers have pushed to amend the constitution, part of which are some sections of the constitution that would give opportunity for diaspora voting.
At a retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State last year, the lawmakers considered amending the constitution to allow Nigerians in the diaspora to participate in the electoral process, starting with the presidential election.
The federal lawmakers move has been applauded by many CSOs and political leaders, including the Inter-Party Advisory Council.
However, some Nigerians have expressed pessimism about the sincerity of the lawmakers to do the right thing, especially when it does not directly benefit them.
For these Nigerians it would not be a surprise if the exercise fails again ahead of 2027, because it may not favour their political ambition.
“So, it is a major form of disenfranchisement. It makes it difficult for you to talk of the major vote cast. If 30percent of your population is outside the country and 70percent is in Nigeria and the ones outside are not given opportunity to vote, it means that whoever is elected does not have illegitimacy and has not secured the majority of the votes”, Anthony Ubani is the Executive Director of #FixPolitics, told BusinessDay.
Ubani further stated that some politicians are afraid of diaspora voting because it could influence election outcomes which may not favour them.
“With this system, the first questions the politicians are asking are; would this diaspora voting consolidate us in power? Would it empower longer, our children, our friends, or affect us and get us out of power.
“I don’t know what their conclusions are, I can’t say what their fears are, but if you add the logic, they see that it would be a threat to their hold on power. They should understand that for the most part that they win elections they are not as legitimate.
“It means if you bring in more people and such people are up to the size that can change the results and such people are not the kind of people you would call poor, uneducated Nigerians.
Speaking on the issue, Ajibola Basiru, the national secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) poured cold water on it, noting that the lawmakers will encounter difficulties while amending the constitution to accommodate the diaspora Nigerians.
“To be elected as president of Nigeria, there is a requirement; according to the constitution, it’s not just about the majority votes; you must also have one-quarter of the votes in two-thirds of the states of the federation. So, the question is, those votes coming from the diaspora, which states are they going to be equated to?”
They possess untap resources, knowledge, networks, financial resources – Ezekwesili
Speaking on the issue, Oby Ezekwesili former minister, founder and chair of FixPolitics, said the diaspora community possesses significant resources, 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 granting voting rights to Nigerians abroad would be a critical step toward achieving a more inclusive and functional democracy.
According to Ezekwesili, “Issues concerning Nigeria matter to them because they have family left behind, they also may be temporarily away and will ultimately return to the country. They need to return to a well-governed country. To that extent, the diaspora vote is a very important entry point for activating the voice of the diaspora.”
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