Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has solicited the country’s lawmakers in the National Assembly to review its stand on diaspora voting.
According to Dabiri-Erewa, the issue of diaspora voting is a difficult one, adding that Nigerians can’t afford to give up now.
Members of the National Assembly had overwhelmingly voted against the Bill for an Act to change the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for Diaspora Voting, and Related Matters.
Appealing to the legislators, the NIDCOM boss said: “We need the National Assembly to make it possible for them to vote. We can’t be taking billions of dollars from them while we deny them the right to vote. The Niger Republic is achieving that already.
“The statement is that we are yet to perfect the system locally but I think if we keep waiting for perfection, how can we move forward? INEC is prepared.
“All the excuses they gave in opposing the bill, there are answers for them. So we just have to keep engaging with the national assembly”.