Congressman Pushes for Voting Among the Diaspora

A Bill for an Act to guarantee Nigerian residents living abroad their right to vote in some home elections has cleared the House of Representatives on its second reading.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and Hon. Sadiq Ango Abdullahi are the sponsors of the proposed legislation, and they are both from Kaduna State.


directing the discussion on the Bill on Diaspora's basic principles In his vote on Tuesday on behalf of the Speaker, Hon. Abdullahi maintained that citizens had the fundamental right to freedom of expression and opinion under Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Therefore, the freedom and right to express oneself in whatever way should be granted to all citizens, regardless of where they live in the world in the general election of our nation," he declared.

The Speaker made the case that since Nigerians living overseas remit money to the country, it is only fair and appropriate to grant them the ability to fulfill their civic duty of voting in elections and expressing their preferences for leadership.

"It is generally accepted that remittances from the diaspora have made a significant contribution to Nigeria's progress. Due to their massive cash inflow into the nation, Nigerians living abroad significantly boost the Nigerian economy. Regretfully, Nigerians living abroad are not entitled to vote under the country's current legislation.
As a result, the movement to grant Nigerians living abroad the right to vote has gained more traction. It is a method that permits comprehensive inclusivity in a democracy," he stated.


The Speaker went on to explain, saying that Section 1 of the bill protects Nigerian nationals' ability to vote even while they are living outside of the country. According to this clause, elections for which the Commission is legally authorized to hold elections shall be held in accordance with this Act, should it be passed.


According to Section 4, the passage of this Act will not render Nigeria's current laws unconstitutional. It only gives Nigerians living abroad a way to take part in elections held in their country.

He continued by saying that, should the bill become law, Nigerians living in their home countries will be able to exercise their right to vote in the general election without having to deal with the difficulties and inconveniences of traveling to Nigeria.

Furthermore, the Speaker Abbas and Hon. Marcus Onobun evenly sponsored a bill that the House passed through second reading, which sought to safeguard government organizations against contractors who fail to deliver a contract within a specified amount of time.

Speaking on behalf of the Speaker, Hon. Onobun led the discussion on the general principles of the Bill, stating that the draft legislation would give procuring government entities, who frequently end up on the receiving end of contractor defaults, greater protection.

The Act's intention is to safeguard the interests of stakeholders, especially the procuring entity and the contractors, as demonstrated by a community reading of the goals, authorities, and functions of the Bureau of Public Procurement under the Act, he stated.

among other things, in the procurement process to guarantee openness, prompt, and high-quality delivery of products and services.”


Onobun, however, noted that Section 37 of the Act appears to make provisions for the protection of contractors in the event of a delay in payment to the contractors without any necessary provisions for the protection of the procuring entity in the event that a contractor fails to deliver a contract within the targeted period, indicating a gap in the Act that the Bill, if passed, seeks to remedy.

The current section 37 states, "S.37 (1) Payment for the procurement of goods, works, and services shall be settled promptly and diligently," for convenience of reference.

"(2) Any sum owed to above sixty days from the day that the Ministry, Extra-Ministerial Office, government agency, parastatal, or company receives the invoice, valuation certificate, confirmation, or authentication, it will be considered a delayed payment.

"(3) Interest at the rate stated in the contract instrument will be applied to all overdue payments. (4) Conditions defining interest for over sixty-day late payments must be included in all contracts.

"The foregoing makes it evident that a contract document is required, one that stipulates that contractors will receive a certain amount of interest in the event that their payment is postponed."