Nigerians in diaspora can't vote until we amend the constitution. - Gbajabiamila

Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, in Nigeria, says that constitutional amendment is needed before Nigerians in diaspora can be allowed to vote.

Gbajabiamila said this at the Diaspora Voting Stakeholders Workshop in Abuja.

He said that millions of Nigerians, who resided outside the country, had as much a stake in the present and future of Nigeria as those who lived in the country.

“Nigerians abroad use their resources to develop businesses and support family members here at home; they invest in their communities and support national development, so it is not strange that they are seeking to participate in the electoral process.

“But, before allowing diaspora voting, there is a need to plan well by first understanding the nuances, intricacies and the hurdles in front, before considering diaspora voting if Nigeria will get it right.

“I was the principal officer when this bill came up in the 7th assembly and I shut the Nigeria in diaspora voting bill down.

“I did that for reasons the house came to understand; the language of the constitution is black and white and it states that you can only vote if you are resident in Nigeria.

“So, bringing a bill for diaspora voting at that time was a wrong move because you cannot use a bill to amend the constitution and it was on that basis that we could not take that bill.

“I am not proud of it but it was a necessity and someone had to take the responsibility; I am for diaspora voting, but all I am saying is that we have to do it right, so for that bill to stand, the constitution has to be amended first,’’ he said.

Gbajabiamila said that there was need to check if Nigeria was ready for diaspora voting because the elections conducted here come with a lot of issues and many litigation, afterward.

“Our elections here are not yet perfect, so how do we deal with diaspora voting? here, we consistently have litigation after elections, so how do we deal with that in diaspora voting?

“There are issues with diaspora voting, for instance, which of the elections will they participate in and which court will they eventually go to in case of litigation after elections?

SOURCE: THE HERALD