2023: Amend electoral act to eliminate location barrier -Harrison tells NASS, INEC

Former Abia State Finance Commissioner, Hon. Richard Harrison, Friday called for a review of the 2010 Electoral act to permit eligible registered Nigerian voters to cast their ballots from the diaspora and other nearest polling booths within the country.

In an interview with newsmen in Abia on Friday, Harrison explained that voting in Diaspora and any other accessible locations within the country will eliminate undue disenfranchisement during elections.

His words, “Apart from diaspora voting, those in Nigeria should be able to vote for their chosen candidates for Federal Legislative and Presidential elections from wherever they are resident.

“The Electoral Act should be amended for this to happen. Most of my family members are registered voters and resident abroad but it is not cost effective for any of us to travel to Nigeria and our local government area just to cast our votes”.

Similarly, the Igbo World Union, IWU, has also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure that eligible Nigerians living in diaspora exercise their franchise in the forthcoming 2023 general election.

The group’s President-General, Mishak Nnanta affirmed that Nigerians living in the diaspora are desirous of participating in the forthcoming general election in order to enthrone and promote good governance as it obtains in other democratic climes.

Nnanta also said about 116 estimated countries have a system that allows their emigrants to fully participate in their electoral process through external voting.