Nigeria’s INEC to conduct Diaspora
voting.
Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC, is set to conduct its first
Diaspora voting in four countries to enable Nigerians living
abroad participate in the country's electoral process.
The Chairman of the Commission, Professor Maurice Iwu made the
announcement in Abuja while addressing stakeholders on the new
electoral process.
Iwu said the commission had concluded plans to conduct elections
in four English-speaking countries, including Britain and the
U.S.
He said there is need, however, to amend Section seventy-seven
sub section two of the Constitution to remove the clause that
says only Nigerians resident in Nigeria can register for an
election.
Professor Iwu said Britain and other English speaking countries
were chosen for the pilot project because many Nigerians reside
there and that there would be no language problems.
Very Apt
Responding to the move, the Chairman, House of Representatives
Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Representative Abike Dabiri-Erewa,
said the decision was appropriate because of the contributions
of Nigerians living abroad to the country's development.
She said the committee was sponsoring the Diaspora Commission
Bill to unleash the forces of technology, science and innovation
on Nigeria through the mobilisation of the intellectual and
creative energies of Nigerian professionals overseas.
The bill, sponsored by Dabiri-Erewa and sixteen other lawmakers,
has gone through the second reading in the House of
Representatives, and seeks to establish the Nigerians in
Diaspora Commission, while facilitating the engagement of
Nigerians living abroad in the policies, programmes and projects
aimed at engendering Nigeria's development.
NAN/Williams/Qasim
