'2023 elections' Accelerate legislation on Diaspora voting, Moghalu tells NASS

Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has urged the National Assembly to fast-track legislation that would permit Nigerians in the Diaspora to vote in the 2023 general elections.

Moghalu said allowing Nigerians in the diaspora to vote would give them a higher sense of belonging.

The 2019 Presidential candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) disclosed this in a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday.

According to him, Nigerians must have the ability to vote from abroad, as was the case in Ghana and many other countries.

He explained that fast-tracking the constitutional review to accommodate diaspora voting now would give INEC enough time to fine-tune the process.

Moghalu said, “Nigerians living and earning their living abroad is not a crime. It is their right. Their citizenship should not be denigrated because of where they live.

“Every country has a diaspora, some at leisure (people who just want to live in foreign lands), others by force of circumstances (economic migration.”

He added, “2023 may seem far but is by the corner, especially for INEC as it needs ample time to register and accommodate every eligible Nigerian living abroad to be part of the voting process.

“If the Central Bank of Nigeria can woo diaspora remittances, we need to woo their votes too.”

Recall that INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, had last October urged the National Assembly to amend sections of the Constitution and the Electoral Act (2010 as amended) to enable Nigerians abroad to vote.