Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDO-Europe) has urged the Federal Government to consider amendment of the constitution to allow Nigerians abroad to vote during elections.
This is contained in a statement jointly signed and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by Continental Chairman of NIDOE, Dr Bashir Obasekola and Continental Public Relations Officer, Fidel Wilson, on Friday in Abuja.
The organisation stated that the proposals on the constitutional amendment would help to make Diaspora voting a done deal in Nigeria, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
It also commended the adoption of clause 52(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 by the National Assembly.
NAN reports that the bill stipulates that voting during election and transmission of results shall be in accordance with the procedure to be determined by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“This adoption is indeed a step in the right direction, as it allows INEC to be more technologically-inclined and introduce more technology into electoral process,” it stated.
The statement said that NIDOE was optimistic that the move by the national assembly would enhance credible elections in Nigeria, especially through e-voting.
“As the block-chain technology develops, it has become clearer that it is possible to do e-voting without fear of hacking.
“Above all, we Nigerians in the Diaspora are optimistic that the introduction of this clause will eventually pave the way for absentee voting.
“It will also accelerate the adoption of Diaspora voting that will bring assurance to the rights of Diaspora Nigerians to vote in Nigeria’s elections.
“To this end, we call on President Muhammadu Buhari to also yield to the yearnings and expectations of Nigerians at home and abroad by assenting to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021, once it gets to his desk
.
“When the bill becomes law, it will significantly boost citizens’ civic participation and trust in the country’s electoral process,” it said. (NAN)
