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At the News Central TV Diaspora Town Hall in New York on Thursday, Nigerian diaspora voices called for stronger electoral inclusion, with speaker Frank Onyekwelu warning that public trust in the country’s electoral system is eroding.
The Town Hall, themed “Will Nigeria’s Diaspora Be Silenced Again in 2027?”, gathered delegates to debate diaspora voting and its implications for Nigeria’s democracy.
“Many of our citizens are losing interest and trust in our INEC,” Onyekwelu said, referring to the Independent National Electoral Commission. He stressed that expanding voting rights to Nigerians abroad could help rebuild confidence in the democratic process.
“If they can include the diasporas to contribute and let our vote speak, not just a selection but election, then we can have confidence in our democracy.”
Onyekwelu argued that a phased introduction of diaspora voting could provide both legitimacy and practical lessons. “We can have confidence in our INEC. By starting small, Nigeria will identify logistic and challenges, build confidence, create a roadmap for 2027 or 2031 election,” he explained.
He suggested that the initiative should begin in countries with large Nigerian communities.
“We can start from South Africa, United States, United Kingdom, these three major countries where we have vast Nigerians or diasporas staying. We can test run with three countries, then enlarge it to five, then to seven.”
Linking the call for diaspora voting to Nigeria’s foreign policy priorities, Onyekwelu said: “We can build on this, looking at our president’s foreign policy, the four Ds, demography, democracy, development, and diaspora.”
For him, the issue is not only about policy but about recognition of diaspora contributions. “It is time diaspora’s voice come to play. It is not just saying it, but let us allow this foreign policy to include our leaders, our businessmen, our entrepreneurs, our professionals from all over the world. Let their voice be heard.”
