Nigerian’s Diaspora Voting: Cyber Insecurity, Data breach Threats to Election Integrity – Senator Umeh Prohibit
By Fatima Saka
Abuja, Nigeria – Cyber insecurity, data breaches, and technological manipulation could undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s elections if diaspora voting is introduced prematurely, Senator Victor Umeh has warned.
Speaking with newsmen on Monday in Abuja, Umeh, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, ruled out the possibility of Nigerians living abroad participating in the 2027 general elections, saying the idea remains desirable but not yet practical for the country.
He explained that the bill seeking to enable diaspora voting was rejected by the Constitution Review Committee, noting that Nigeria currently lacks the technological and institutional capacity to conduct credible elections beyond its borders.
According to the former chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organizations, while the demand for diaspora voting has been a recurring call from Nigerians abroad, the country’s electoral framework is not yet strong enough to guarantee transparency and confidence in results transmitted electronically from different parts of the world.
“We have not attained the level of transparency in our conduct of elections that would give everyone confidence that results transmitted from Europe, America, or Africa would remain credible,” Umeh said. “Until we can guarantee that, it would be unwise to adopt diaspora voting.”
He therefore advised Nigerians abroad who wish to vote to travel home during elections, emphasizing that protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy must remain a top priority.
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