Peter Obi advocates participation of Nigerians abroad in future elections

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s nominee for president, has urged Nigerians living abroad to vote in upcoming elections.

Following a meeting with Nigerians in Frankfurt, Germany, Obi made the announcement on Twitter.

He said: “We will continue to engage the Nigerian Diaspora in ways that are mutually beneficial. By the 2027 election, the Nigerian Diaspora must have a voice via absentee ballots.”

He also stressed the need for the country to reduce the cost of governance via a robust anti-corruption fight.

Obi added: “We will have zero tolerance for corruption and will cut the cost of governance.”

Earlier in the week, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) revealed it would continue to engage the National Assembly on Diaspora voting.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chairman of the NiDCOM, stated at the State House Ministerial Briefing held by the Presidential Communications Team on Thursday in Abuja that the commission has reviewed the necessity of diaspora voting with both chambers of the National Assembly.

She, however, said the effort was not successful.

“We engaged with committees on Diaspora affairs in the parliament both at the House and Senate, particularly for Diaspora voting, unfortunately, we didn’t succeed.

“The National Assembly is still not interested in Diaspora voting, but we will not relent in continuing to engage with them because I believe and every person should know that the Diasporan should be able to vote.

“So, we hope that we will continue to engage with the parliament,’’ Dabiri-Erewa said.