Nigerians in the diaspora have demanded the right to vote in elections.
Anthony Ubani, Executive Director of FixPolitics, said despite the citizenship and tremendous capacity of Nigerians in the diaspora to contribute positively to the Nigerian project, they continue to be denied their fundamental right to vote.
“This disenfranchisement not only undermines the principles of democracy but also diminishes the potential for Diaspora engagement in shaping the policies and decisions that impact their lives and the lives of millions of Nigerians back home,” he said.
Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, Founder and Chair of FixPolitics, said Diaspora voting falls within that aspect of the triangular pillars of democracy on the power and influence of the electorate.
“The reality of our political anomaly is that the supply side of our politics, within the political class, has a monopoly hold on politics and democracy, not just in Nigeria but in many other African countries.
“And that monopoly capture of the political space cannot in any way be contested until we unlock the kind of power and influence that the diaspora community has. The diaspora community cannot be disengaged from the country’s political process,” Nigerian Tribune quoted Ezekwesili to have said.
She highlighted the significant resources the diaspora community possesses—knowledge, networks, and financial resources—all of which are crucial for development but remain largely untapped due to their exclusion from the political process, and that granting voting rights to Nigerians abroad would be a critical step towards achieving a more inclusive and functional democracy.
The dialogue featured prominent speakers, including Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, Founder and Chair of FixPolitics; Mr Anthony Ubani, Executive Director of FixPolitics; Honorable Abike Dabiri-Erewa, CEO and Managing Director of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM); Comrade Abdulrazak Abdulrahman Abubakar, Former President of National Association of Nigerian Students in Diaspora and also President of National Association of Nigerian Students in South Africa; Dr Edward Agbai, Secretary-General of Ijaw Diaspora Council; Ms Elizabeth Johnson, president of the Nigerian Women Association in South Africa; Ayobami Akinyode Olunloyo, Managing Director of Pav Media Limited, UK; Professor Mojubaolu Olufunke Okome, Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College, and a host of Nigerians in Diaspora.
