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17 Million Nigerians Abroad Can't Vote for Jonathan, Buhari
Nigeria's presidential election campaign seems to have gone international with Buhari's recent appearance and speech at Chatham House London and interest of International media such as the London Economist and the New York Times. Economist magazine endorsed Buhari for president in its February 6, 2015 edition while the New York Times of February 16, 2015 stopped short of similar endorsement but clearly showed a preference of Buhari over President Jonathan.
Although, these foreign media have strong worldwide readership and influence, Nigerians abroad have no voting rights and will not vote in the coming election and the ruling political class seem comfortable with things as they are. Instead they expend energy and resources in such charades as organizing demonstrations at Buhari's speech venue. Also they expend resources wooing an International community exclusive of Nigerians leading to a confusion as to who the actual constituents are.
Recently President Jonathan, rather than worry about what Nigerians think, was heard asking his Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala what her former colleagues at the World Bank thought of Soludo's criticism and comments about the mismanagement of the economy under his watch. This obsession with foreigners and their perception by our presidential candidates, is worrisome given that foreigners do not vote in Nigeria.
Anyone watching the BBC news and seeing the pictures of Nigerian political party supporters demonstrating outside Buhari's Chatham House speech venue, would conclude that London was part of Nigeria and that, at the very least, the Nigerian population living in United Kingdom will vote in the coming election.
The truth is the political elite realize the role Nigerian diaspora play in the social and economic development of the country but would not willingly offer the right of participation in the elections to these Nigerians outside the homeland. For instance, those Nigerians demonstrating outside Chatham House venue of Buhari's speech, have no mechanism in place to vote in London or anywhere outside Nigeria because Nigeria does not have absentee ballot law.
In an earlier article, Renafrique highlighted the growing economic significance and power of the Nigerian diaspora the second highest source of currency inflow to the country after oil. With the present slide in crude oil prices, the diaspora is most likely set to become a more significant source of foreign currency inflow for Nigeria. Yet, this very important bloc remains disenfranchised.
Also, the more than 30% devaluation of the naira within the last six months, which started with the oil price crisis was exacerbated by the fall in the diaspora remittances due to a combination of factors such as recent unfriendly import duty laws, the recent banking regulation requiring that foreign currency remittances to Nigerian banks can only be paid out in naira, and the insecurity of investments which is linked to the current volatile election atmosphere. In civilized nations this should make it imperative that Nigeria's legislators and administrators should focus more on the diaspora angle when enacting laws and regulations.
It is not encouraging for the country's young democracy that the “Voting Rights for Nigerians living abroad” legislation which was introduced close to four years ago is still languishing at the National Assembly. This bill introduced in 2012 by members of Nigeria's House of Representatives led by Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa was to enable the Nigerian diaspora fully participate in the country's political process. Also, on Tuesday, June 24, 2014, delegates at the most recent National Conference overwhelmingly supported voting rights for Nigerians living abroad but the National Assembly has not shown any zeal about taking up and passing a law to include more than 17 million Nigerian diaspora in country's political processes.
On December 13, 2012, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Sen. Andy Uba was quoted by a House Committee on Diaspora release as saying that for now, “Nigerians in Diaspora would not be accommodated in the voting for the 2015 general elections. According to him, the legal framework for Nigerians in Diaspora to vote in an election has not been worked out. His explanation was that no accurate data of Nigerians living in any particular country can be obtained from any of the Nigerian Embassies".
We really disagree with this logic, since the absence of a reliable and accurate national census has not stopped Nigerians living in Nigeria from voting. We only have to extend the same requirements governing the registration of Nigerian voters in Nigeria to the diaspora. But the law has to precede and require the verifiable registration data which Mr. Uba seeks.
Absentee ballot system is a staple of modern democracies around the world and nurtures both the spirit of patriotism and nationalism. Even Ghana has provisions for her citizens living abroad to vote in elections. Nigeria should follow those models.
@Nigeria Media in Diaspora