After disappointing Nigerians in the Diaspora, who had hoped to participate in past elections, Nigerian parliamentarians have revived efforts to include diaspora voting in the nation’s constitution. However, what has changed?
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, and his deputy, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, are separately advocating legislation to allow Nigerian citizens abroad to vote and to reserve special seats for women in both national and state assemblies.
Abbas, in a bill co-sponsored with Rep. Sadiq Ango Abdullahi, seeks to enable Nigerians worldwide to exercise their voting rights. Kalu, in his bill co-sponsored with 12 other lawmakers, aims to reserve special seats for women to enhance inclusivity and address the imbalance in women’s political participation. Both bills have already passed their second reading.
But it would be recalled that similar bills were introduced during the 9th National Assembly and were rejected during the 2023 constitutional amendment exercise. Thus, political analysts question Nigeria’s readiness for diaspora voting, citing issues that usually plague elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They also criticise the reservation of special seats for women, saying it is discriminatory. However, the main question on the lips of major stakeholders is whether or not anything has changed from the situation that led to the lawmakers voting massively against these bills in the previous Assembly.
Members of the 9th National Assembly overwhelmingly voted against the bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution to Provide for Diaspora Voting. Out of 390 present, only 87 votes supported Diaspora voting, while 269 votes opposed it. Similarly, the bill for special seats for women was rejected, with 30 senators voting in support and 58 against it in the Senate, and 81 votes in support and 208 against it in the House of Representatives.
While members of the 9th Assembly overwhelmingly voted against the two bills during the 2023 Constitution Amendment exercise, it is not clear what the decision will be this time around. This is more so because only 30 percent of members of the 9th National Assembly were able to make it to the 10th Assembly due to the high legislative turnover recorded during the last election.
The Senate President in the 9th Assembly, Ahmad Lawan, who spoke on the rate of high legislative turnover last year, said about 70 percent of senators and members of the House of Representatives were rejected in their constituencies during the last general election.
Some analysts argue that these rejections may be a result of some of the decisions taken by the lawmakers, which many believed were anti-people. Some believe that the rejection of these two bills might have played a role in the turnover in parliament. This, they believe, might be a major morale booster for the sponsors of the bills in the current Assembly, especially with younger parliamentarians that are considered progressive.
While the Speaker’s bill on diaspora voting passed the second reading without much debate, the deputy speaker’s bill on special seats for women faced considerable discussion before being passed for a second reading.
Diaspora voting bill
The bill, sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, is titled “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Rights
of Nigerian Citizens Living Outside Nigeria to Vote in Certain Elections Conducted in Nigeria and for Related Matters (HB. 22).”
Rep. Sadiq Ango Abdullahi, co-sponsor of the bill, argued that Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) grants citizens the fundamental right of freedom of expression and opinion. “All citizens, therefore, irrespective of their location anywhere on the globe, should be given the right and freedom to express themselves in our country’s general election,” he said.
The Speaker explained that since Nigerians abroad meet their financial obligations to the country through remittances, it is fair that they are given the right to participate in elections. The bill was referred to the Committee on Electoral Matters for further legislative action.
According to the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees the right to vote and be voted for, all Nigerian citizens who have reached at least 18 years old, living in Nigeria or abroad, have full voting rights. However, these rights have not been implementable as the National Assembly and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have yet to come to an agreement on how to actualise diaspora voting. Hence, the bill to give specific backing to diaspora voting and provide the modalities for INEC.
Bill for reservation of seats for women in parliament
The bill, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu and 12 co-sponsors, is titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 to Provide for Seat Reservation for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for Related Matters.”
The co-sponsors include Reps. Tolani Shagaya, M.D. Hassan, Oriyomi A. Onanuga, Blessing Onuh, Joshua Audu Gana, Kama Nkemkanma, Chinwe Clara Nnabuife, Amobi Godwin Ogah, Khadija Bukar Ibrahim, Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi, Jafaru Gambo Leko, and Francis Waive.
The bill seeks to alter Sections 48 and 49 to provide one special seat for women in the Senate and House of Representatives for each state and the Federal Capital Territory, effective after the current National Assembly’s term and subject to review every 16 years. It also aims to alter Section 91 to provide three special seats for women in the Houses of Assembly of each state, spread across the three senatorial districts of each state.
The bill proposes consequential amendments to sections 71, 77, and 117 of the Constitution to establish special constituencies for women, ensuring their direct election into legislative houses at both federal and state levels.
Rep. Joshua Audu Gana, leading the debate on behalf of the lead sponsor, Kalu, said the bill aims to address what he called the profound imbalance in women’s representation in legislative houses at the national and sub-national levels.
“The issue of gender equality and representation lies at the heart of our constitutional democracy. Despite the constitutional guarantee of equal rights, the representation of women in our legislative houses has been alarmingly low,” he argued.
He noted the low percentage of women in the 7th, 8th, and 9th assemblies, which has worsened in the 10th assembly, and stressed the need for proactive measures to ensure equitable representation.
Though it was later referred to the House Committee on Constitutional Review for further legislative input, this was not without combative debates among the lawmakers, with proponents and opponents presenting their points.
Rep. Fatima Talba urged men to support women’s representation in parliament, just as Rep. Mila Usman Balami emphasized the need to encourage women’s participation in politics. Rep. Akintunde Rotimi decried the low number of female representatives in parliament.
However, Rep. Ghali Mustapha argued that the proposed bill is undemocratic, stating that everyone should test their popularity at the polls. Rep. Ayodeji Alao-Akala and Rep. Patrick Umoh echoed this position, stressing that all politicians should compete fairly, irrespective of gender, with Alao-Akala describing it as “highly sensitive.”
Rep. Famous Osawaru noted that sentiment alone would not ensure the bill’s success, adding that it is almost impossible for anyone to willingly vacate their seats for women to take over their seats on a platter of gold.
However, House Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, while supporting the bill, highlighted Nigeria’s low ranking in women’s representation in parliament at only 3.19 percent.
According to figures by the United Nations, globally, there are 21 countries in which women account for less than 10 percent of parliamentarians in single or lower houses. Among these 21 countries, Nigeria only fares better than the likes of Kuwait (3.1 percent), Papua New Guinea (2.7 percent), Vanuatu (2.0 percent), Oman (0 percent), and Yemen (0 percent).
Conversely, Rwanda (61 percent) tops the list across the globe among the six countries that have 50 percent or more women in parliament in single or lower houses: Nicaragua (54 percent), Andorra (50 percent), Mexico (50 percent), New Zealand (50 percent), and the United Arab Emirates (50 percent).
Self-deception to contemplate Diaspora voting now – Dr. Hayatu
A Kano-based political analyst, Dr. Aminu Hayatu, however, opined that Nigeria must first organise what he called effective national elections before considering diaspora voting.
Hayatu, a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), emphasised the need to perfect national electoral processes before extending voting rights to citizens abroad.
“When you look at the issues, there are two perspectives. Some view it from the angle that we are yet to mature in terms of the way we conduct our elections in the country. And the other view is that, yes, irrespective of what is going on, we should be able to align our democratic practices with the best global practice in democracy.
“But my own view is that definitely we should be focused on trying to fix many of the issues relating to our electoral practice because it’s just like adding more burden to what we are already battling with. It would be very difficult for a country that cannot effectively organise elections within its territories to begin to look beyond the borders to conduct elections that affect the country. So, I think one step at a time is better.
“We have proven to be incapable; if 25 years after the return of democracy, we are still incapable of conducting free, credible, and fair elections, it will just be a form of self-deception for us to think that we can organize diaspora elections,” he argued.
Regarding special seats for women, Dr. Hayatu acknowledged the validity of arguments for women’s inclusion but stressed the need for legal means to achieve this.
“As much as the argument about women’s inclusion is valid and there is a necessity to really give women the opportunity, we must follow legal means to be able to do that,” he said.
He suggested that creating a more enabling political environment and providing more political appointments for women would be more effective than reserving seats in the National Assembly.
Overall, while the push for Diaspora voting and special seats for women aims to address inclusivity and representation issues, the proposals face significant challenges and opposition. The success of these bills will depend on further legislative action and broader acceptance among lawmakers and the public.
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