FEDERAL lawmakers want Nigerians living abroad to vote. At a retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State last year, the lawmakers considered tweaking the Constitution to allow Nigerians in the Diaspora to participate in the electoral process, starting with the presidential election. This propagates inclusiveness.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council also loves the idea. Curiously, the national secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Ajibola Basiru, poured cold water on it. A former senator, Basiru thinks the lawmakers will encounter difficulties while amending the Constitution to accommodate the diaspora Nigerians.
His major argument is the Constitution. “To be elected as president of Nigeria, there is a requirement,” he said. “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?”
Basiru says “…we are battling with the integrity and sanctity of elections,” and suggests that “talking about ballots from another jurisdiction” is unnecessary.
