Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Economic Summit Group (AESG), Dr. Brian Reuben, has called for Nigerians in the Diaspora to be allowed to vote, describing their exclusion as a democratic deficit.
Dr. Reuben stated this on Wednesday during Channels Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Brief.
According to him, over 17 million Nigerians currently live abroad, remitting more than $20 billion annually, an amount he described as bigger than the Gross Domestic Product of some African countries.
He noted that Nigerians in the Diaspora invest in businesses, mentor start-ups, and serve as informal ambassadors for the country, yet remain unable to vote in federal elections.
“This is not just a gap in policy; it is a democratic deficit. Millions of Nigerians with a stake in our future have been silent, not because they committed any crime, but simply because of geography,” he said.
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He explained that diaspora voting is a strategic imperative and a fundamental human right, insisting that excluding citizens based on location undermines Nigeria’s democracy.
Dr. Reuben maintained that countries like Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa have shown that overseas voting is both technically feasible and politically transformative.
A bill to amend the constitution and provide for diaspora voting scaled second reading in the House of Representatives in late November 2024. Co-sponsored by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and Sodeeq Abdullahi, the bill seeks to amend the 2022 Electoral Act and has been referred to the Constitution Amendment Committee for further legislative action.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had also announced that proposed electoral reforms in 2025 would include the introduction of diaspora voting.
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