The African Diaspora Resource and Research Centre, University of Ibadan, in partnership with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, will on Thursday hold a virtual seminar on voting rights for Nigerians living abroad.
The webinar, scheduled for 4pm on September 24, is part of the Centre’s monthly “Do Migrants Vote?” series and will examine the legal and political hurdles to diaspora voting in Nigeria.
Dr Olaolu Peter Oluwasanmi will lead the discussion with a presentation titled, “The Nigerian State and the Politics of Diaspora (Dis)Enfranchisement.”
Dr Abdulrahman Terab, Head of Technology Transfer, Innovation and Investment at NiDCOM, will serve as discussant, while the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Office of Diaspora Affairs, Dr Jermaine Sanwo-Olu, will moderate.
The Centre’s Director and Professor of Diaspora Studies, Prof. Senayon Olaoluwa, will host the session.
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Nigeria currently has no legal framework allowing citizens resident abroad to register and vote from their countries of residence.
The issue has featured in electoral reform debates for years. In 2022, the National Assembly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to introduce diaspora voting.
INEC has previously said constitutional and electoral law changes would be required to enable voting from outside Nigeria.
The National Diaspora Policy also provides for greater participation by Nigerians abroad in electoral processes and calls for the legislative and infrastructural measures needed to facilitate diaspora voting.
The forthcoming webinar will examine the legal, political and practical issues surrounding the participation of Nigerians abroad in the country’s electoral process.