Politics
Still On Diaspora Voting And Rivers Rerun Polls
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had a somewhat bitter, sweet engagement with the National Assembly recently.
The issues bordered on the much-debated diaspora voting and pending elections into vacant legislative seats. Clearly both issues touch on constitution.
While the law as constituted does not allow for electronic voting as such voting must be by personal representation, the constitution provides that every constituency must have a representative through an elective process organized by the electoral commission. However it would seem that the commission is almost handicapped on both issues.
The 2015 general election was perhaps the most competitive election in the Nigeria’s recent political history.
Invariably, that electoral process opened up the system to the exploration of more technology with the introduction of the Smart Card Reader and Permanent Voter Card (PVC).
As such, in the build up to that election, the clamour by Nigerians living abroad to get involved in the process back home became much more noticeable.
For them, besides technology conquering the geographical hindrance to voting for any citizen (as evident in even small countries in Africa), the appreciable economic contributions they make through transfers back home warrants they have a direct participation in electoral process in the country.
According to a report by World Bank’s Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016, remittances from Nigerians living abroad hit $20.77 billion in 2015, making Nigeria the sixth largest recipient of remittances in the world.
It further revealed that remittances to Nigeria rose every year over the last decade from $16.93 billion in 2006 to $20.83 billion in 2014. In 2015, however, remittances fell slightly to $20.77 billion.
According to the report, the top two sources for Nigerian diaspora remittances in 2015 were the United States ($5.7 billion) and the United Kingdom ($3.7 billion).
More so, the report showed that Nigeria tops the top ten remittance recipients in Africa by $20.77bn, followed by Ghana ($2.0bn), Senegal ($1.6bn), Kenya ($1.6bn), South Africa ($1.0bn), Uganda ($0.9bn), Mali ($0.9bn), Ethiopia ($0.6bn), Liberia ($0.5bn), and Sudan ($0.5bn).
But, attempts at addressing diaspora voting has never gone beyond the discussion stage. The issue was deliberated at the 2014 National Conference. Former External Affairs Minister, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, had at the confab, captured the frustrations of millions of Nigerians abroad about their inability to vote.
Expectedly, he blamed the situation on the provision of the relevant sections of the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic, which discriminated against Nigerians living outside the country.
Despite the major leaps recorded by the immediate past leadership of INEC, diaspora voting wasn’t feasible for the 2015 election. With federal lawmakers fixated on returning to office, amending the constitution to accommodate Nigerians abroad was not a priority.
But, this INEC, under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, seems poised to address the issue, provided the National Assembly plays its part.
This much the chief electoral officer stated when he hosted members of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organizations, led by its Chairperson, Dr. Rose Oko, when they visited the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
He urged the National Assembly to expedite action by amending sections of the Constitution and the Electoral Act (2010 as amended) to make way for Nigerians living outside the country to participate in the electoral process and vote.
He said: “INEC believes that Nigerians living outside the country should have the right to vote for a variety of reasons: they are citizens of Nigeria interested in the affairs of their own country; they make considerable contribution to the economy through huge financial inflow to the country; there is a sizable amount of Nigerian citizens living outside the country; and Diaspora voting is consistent with global best practices”.
Professor Yakubu noted that: “Allowing Nigerians living abroad to vote will allow Nigerians in Diaspora to register and vote in their countries of residence”.
He however pointed out that: “for this to happen, several sections of the Constitution and the Electoral Act have to be amended to provide for the legal framework to allow for registration and voting by citizens living in the Diaspora”.
He disclosed that the Commission had identified areas of the Constitution and the Electoral Act which needed amendment and was willing to discuss it with the Committee. He assured that: “INEC is committed to providing Nigerians living outside the country the opportunity to have a say in who become our leaders at various levels”.
“I hope that arising from our interactions today, the legal and constitutional obstacles to voting by Nigerians in Diaspora will soon be removed so that Nigerians, irrespective of where they live around the world would have the opportunity to vote in future elections, but the first step towards actualizing that possibility rests entirely on the national assembly because you are the only people who have the powers to amend our constitution and laws,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairperson, Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organizations, Senator Rose Oko, had told the leadership of INEC that members of the Committee were in the Commission in respect of the quest for Nigerians in Diaspora to be part of the electoral process and to exercise their franchise.
Senator Oko, advised the Commission to look into the possibility of including Nigerians in Disapora to vote, and assured that the Committee would do everything possible to facilitate the amendment of the relevant sections of the Electoral Act to accommodate people living outside the country in the electoral process.
“We in the Senate Committee do believe that we would lend our voice very strongly to the call that Nigerians in Diaspora should be given an opportunity to exercise their franchise to vote in the countries where they are domiciled for a number of reasons,” she said.
By and large, according to analysts, the bulk of the responsibility lies with legislature. Nevertheless, while the National Assembly and the commission enthuse over the prospects of Nigerians in diaspora voting, the need to tidy up what has become perennial logistics challenges back home, would be key.
Also, the challenge of inconclusive elections, resulting majorly from insecurity, might be too much of a distraction for the commission. Still, other analysts believe that these challenges are easily surmountable, if key stakeholders play their statutory role.
Although President Muhammadu Buhari seems indifferent to the 2014 confab report which gave life to the prospects of diaspora voting, he has often expressed willingness to make Nigerians living abroad have a direct say in how their leaders emerge.
In March, while speaking to the Nigerian community in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, he had said: “The Independent National Electoral Commission will be encouraged to explore the possibility of Nigerians abroad voting in the 2019 general elections. We will do all within our means to fulfill that desire.
“I want all Nigerians to know that I respect them and their right to choose their leaders. Some African countries have started allowing their citizens resident abroad to vote in national elections, so I fully empathise with the desire of Nigerians in the diaspora to vote in national elections,” the President stated.
His optimism in Malabo was slight variance from his rather cautious desire in August 2015, where he stated that it was not feasible to implement the idea presently as there were still many factors militating against its realisation.
Speaking at the 2015 Diaspora Day held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, with the theme “Diaspora and Nigeria Change Agenda”, he identified some of those factors, which he argued were logistical, to include legislation, huge finance, and confidence in the electoral system.
The Senate President, Sen Bukola Saraki, had also expressed the upper chamber’s commitment as well.
Speaking at the one-day stakeholders meeting on electoral reforms organized by Senate Committee and Policy and Legal Advocacy Center (PLAC), Saraki had said the wish of Nigerians living abroad to participate in the process should be accommodated.
However, while the next round of legislative elections are months away, and with the Sen Ken Nnamani Electoral Reform Committee set to commence work, it is expected that diaspora voting would get serious attention this time.
However, while the electoral commission tasked the National Assembly on ensuring that Nigerians living abroad can vote in future polls, the federal legislature was not so charitable over its criticism of INEC for delays in conducting pending elections into legislative seats.
Both chambers had come down hard on the commission over pending polls, especially in Rivers and Lagos.
While the House of Representatives urged INEC to conduct the elections, Senate threatened to suspend plenary sessions if the electoral umpire fails to conduct all pending re-run elections into legislative positions in Rivers State.
This followed the unanimous adoption of a motion under matters of urgent public importance sponsored by Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, (PDP) and Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, (APC).
In the House, the Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, (PDP) had sponsored the motion and the Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila (APC) had supported the motion.
Besides the bi-partisan party support that greeted the motion, the National Assembly found inexplicable that those pending elections has not be held, months after court rulings.
They cited breach to the constitution on the part of INEC, which touched on disobeying court ruling on time frame for rerun election, causing under representation of a people, which they say poses danger to democracy.
But INEC has often stated that its inability to conduct the polls bother on insecurity in those areas. Before then, the commission had early this year, said it would not go back to states where it had pending legislative reruns until stakeholders in those areas commit to the safety of electoral personnel and materials.
The commission had lost an ad-hoc staff and serving National Youth Corps member due to violence in Rivers State. However after much agitation, the commission had held a had meeting with stakeholders from Kogi, Anambra, Rivers and Imo State where legislative elections were pending.
For Rivers State, series of peace meetings were held. Governor Nyesom Wike and his immediate predecessor and Minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi had met with the heads of security agencies including the DSS and police as a way of deescalating the tension in the state. The two estranged political allies are the leaders of the two major parties in the state, PDP and APC.
However while the elections in Kogi and Imo held, that of Rivers did not hold due to resurgence of violence.
But during the debate on his motion on the floor of the Senate, Sen. Ekweremadu argued “that lNEC had successfully conducted elections in the North-East of Nigeria, especially in the areas around Sambisa Forest, in spite of the area having been acknowledged worldwide to be ravaged by terrorist activities.
“Also aware that INEC recently conducted successful elections in Edo State even after security advice from Police and DSS forced a rescheduling of the election date.
Ukaibe is a public affairs analyst.
Governor Douye Diri has set a target of at least one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Bayelsa State in the 2027 presidential election, while charging the newly inaugurated All Progressives Congress (APC) State Campaign Council to prioritise reconciliation, party unity and collective electoral mobilisation.
Governor Diri gave the charge at the inauguration of the 20-member campaign council at the APC secretariat in Yenagoa, where he warned that internal divisions could undermine the party’s efforts to secure victory for President Tinubu and other candidates at the federal and state levels.
Governor Diri urged party members who were not appointed to the council to support its activities by taking the APC’s message to communities, wards and polling units across the state.
He specifically charged the campaign team to mobilise at least one million votes for President Tinubu, arguing that Bayelsa’s voting strength had increased and should be reflected in the 2027 election results.
“I give you a target that in Bayelsa, we must not bring less than one million votes for Mr President. You are going to campaign, and you have a lot to talk about the President. He has done so much for our people,” the governor said.
He listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass Road, interventions in the power sector, federal appointments for Bayelsa indigenes and the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy among the achievements the campaign should present to voters.
The governor particularly praised President Tinubu for the coastal highway project, arguing that it reflected federal attention to the development needs of coastal communities.
“No president, alive or dead, has remembered the coastal people and coastal states to say let us do this signature project from Lagos to Calabar. The first president to think about it is Bola Tinubu, and those were the demands of the Ijaw people,” he said.
Governor Diri also expressed hope that a second term for President Tinubu would provide an opportunity to advance demands for fiscal federalism, greater resource control and state policing, which he described as longstanding aspirations of the Niger Delta.
He said the President had shown indications of addressing some of the demands of younger Nigerians and argued that re-election would allow the administration to consolidate its reforms.
The governor further cautioned campaigners against personal attacks and abusive exchanges with political opponents, insisting that the APC should focus its campaign on issues, policies and achievements.
The governor’s mobilisation directive comes amid criticism from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has questioned his commitment to President Tinubu’s re-election campaign, alleging that APC campaign billboards erected across Yenagoa promote other party candidates without featuring the President.
The PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Ikaebimo Mark, said the billboards showed Governor Diri urging voters to support APC candidates for the National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections without identifying President Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate.
Mr Mark described the omission as an indication that the governor was not fully aligned with the APC’s national leadership.
“When we said that the governor, Senator Douye Diri, is not supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we knew exactly what we were saying. Now Governor Douye Diri has erected APC campaign billboards across Bayelsa State without Tinubu’s picture. He is even afraid to associate himself with the photograph of the presidential candidate of his own party. How can this governor claim to be supporting President Tinubu?” he said.
The PDP, however, maintained that the governor’s public campaign posture raised questions about his commitment to the President’s re-election bid. Its allegation over the billboards now places the issue of the relationship between the state APC leadership and the party’s national campaign among the political questions likely to feature in Bayelsa’s preparations for 2027.
The PDP’s allegation has introduced a fresh political dimension to the APC’s preparations in Bayelsa, even as Governor Diri publicly called on party leaders and members to close ranks and mobilise support for all its candidates.
“Every person picked as a member of this campaign council was carefully scrutinised. I want to tell you that our campaign team is loaded. We parade the best candidates among all the parties in Bayelsa State, and there is no doubt about that,” he said.
He urged members to remain focused and united, warning that political opponents could exploit any divisions within the party.
“Our unity is very important because they would want to feast on our disunity. We will not give them that opportunity. Please, as you carry out this assignment, do not take your eyes off the target,” Hon. Ogoriba said.
SP Edafe explained that during the meeting, the organisers were briefed on the identified security threats and advised against embarking on an open-road procession.
Instead, the police reportedly recommended that the political activities be conducted at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
However, the Command alleged that the organisers disregarded the security advice and proceeded with the road procession.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has condemned the political violence that erupted in Asaba, the state capital, on Saturday, confirming that one person was killed while four others sustained serious injuries.
The government described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable, warning political parties and their supporters against actions capable of threatening public peace, security and democratic participation in the state.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, the government reiterated its zero tolerance for political violence, intimidation and other forms of political misconduct.
Mr Aniagwu said the government had repeatedly cautioned political parties against engaging in activities capable of disrupting the peace, insisting that the incident could have been avoided if the organisers had followed security advice.
According to him, the police had advised the organisers to cancel the proposed street march and instead conduct their political campaign at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
He expressed concern that the advice was allegedly disregarded, resulting in a confrontation that claimed one life and left four other people seriously injured.
The government subsequently called on the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the violence and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
Mr Aniagwu further warned that the state government would not tolerate politically motivated attacks against any individual, regardless of political affiliation.
He maintained that Delta State remained safe for residents and visitors, stressing that the government would not allow the actions of individuals or groups to undermine the prevailing peace and security in the state.
The government also urged political parties, their leaders and supporters to conduct their political activities within the confines of the law and demonstrate respect for human life, public order and the rights of other citizens.
The latest development follows an attack on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during a political procession in Asaba, which reportedly left several participants injured and campaign vehicles vandalised.
The government’s condemnation comes amid growing concerns over political violence and the safety of opposition supporters as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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