Diaspora Nigerians fly in as 26m students get a break to vote
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Diaspora Nigerians have flown in from the bastions of democracy in Europe and the Americas and elsewhere to monitor the electoral revolution expected to be spearheaded by youths comprising mostly university students, EndSARS activists, and the disgruntled army of the educated but unemployed.
Representatives of Nigerians living abroad will be in town for both the presidential and National Assembly (NASS) elections on 25 February and the governorship and state Assembly votes on 11 March.
The stakes are that high the National Universities Commission (NUC) has, for the first time, ordered the closure of universities between 22 February and 14 March to enable 26 million students with Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) cast their ballots.
Thoroughly fed-up citizens at home want to yank off their country from the grip of heartless thieves who band them into social and economic dungeons and rule them with severe pain.
Disaporans, too, feel shame for the human degradation in their fatherland and have invested money, time, energy, and expertise to back up the demand for change.
They say Abuja preventing them from voting will not deter them, and at least 80 of their representatives are expected to monitor the election on the ground. Some 21 members of the advanced party arrived the country at the weekend.
Officials of the All Nigerian Nationals In Diaspora (ANNID) and Nigerian-American Public Affairs Committee (NAPAC) insist even though the law prevents their direct participation, they can help ensure the vote is free, fair, and credible.
“We’re going to deploy as usual our trained personnel to the 36 states of the federation. About 80 people have shown interest to come to Nigeria as observers and the number is still counting,” ANNID Global Chairman Peter Mozie said.
“Already 21 of us are on the ground to commence the process. We are trained by the United Nations and also accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“We are also committed to training as we have always done in the past for all INEC accredited election observers.”
Diasporans will continue to push until the law is passed for them to vote, he vowed.
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Consequential election
“I think [the election] is very clear. But this might very well be the most consequential election in the history of this country,” Mozie stressed, according to reporting by The Nation.
“So because as we look at the number of people out there that have shown interest in the outcome of this election, and also the statements that have been made by the international community, as to their expectations of this election, relative to what they have seen, that the people are clamouring for.
“I mean, there has never been any time that I can remember in the history of this country that this kind of energy has been shown by the average Nigerian as to their interest in who governs them.
“And that is one and it is exceptionally interesting in helping this process, because we believe that the people have said, by their actions, that they are very interested in who rules them.
“So yes, this is not going to be business as usual, simply because it has been understood by everybody.”
Mozie disclosed the advanced party is interfacing with other stakeholders and that would continue until the vote.
He stressed that the group, which has been involved in election monitoring in Nigeria since 2011, is non-partisan.
“We are non-partisan and we don’t support any political party. So it doesn’t matter to us who wins the election.
“We all want to see free, fair and credible elections. So one of the things that we do is that we make sure that all the parties receive equal attention from us.”