The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has appealed to the National Assembly to amend the sections of the constitution and Electoral Act (2010 as amended), so that Nigerians living abroad can participate in the forthcoming election and not be disenfranchised.
NIDCOM Head of Media and Public Relations, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, noted that Diaspora voting was a simple thing to do.
Explaining that allowing Nigerians abroad to vote would be less expensive, he added that only few people would be needed to carry out the job.
Balogun pointed out that some countries in Africa had already embraced Diaspora voting, even as he maintained that it was not a difficult thing for the country to do.
“We are appealing to the National Assembly to do the needful by amending the section of the constitution that says the Independent National Electoral Commission should conduct elections within the confines of the country.
He added, “It is the simplest thing; I was in the US when they were doing their mid-term, and seamlessly, you go to a voting centre, which can be in a hospital, school or a library, you get your ballot, fill and drop.
“If you want to vote online, because you are registered as a voter, you get your ballot online and vote, and if you want it via posting, they post the ballot to your house, vote and you return.
“Electronic voting makes it simpler because you don’t require the presence of election monitors, police, army, logistic movement of electoral materials from one place to another. It is less expensive compared to the type of voting we are doing.”
