Diaspora Voting Bill 2026
Enables Nigerians abroad to register and vote in federal elections.
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In favour
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If you are a Nigerian citizen living abroad, this bill would let you vote in presidential and National Assembly elections without flying home. You would register at a Nigerian embassy or high commission using your passport, and vote there on election day. It does not cover governorship or state assembly elections, and it does not take effect until the 2027 general election.
Who this affects
Nigerian citizens resident outside the country who hold a valid passport, and INEC, which would have to run polling at foreign missions.
What it changes
- 1Creates a diaspora voter register, separate from the domestic register.
- 2Makes a valid Nigerian passport the primary proof of eligibility.
- 3Requires INEC to open polling at high commissions and embassies.
- 4Limits diaspora voting to federal contests — president and National Assembly only.
- 5Sets the 2027 general election as the first cycle it applies to.
6 sections · SB. 142 · referred to the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters
1.Commencement and application
This Act applies to elections into the offices of President and Vice-President and to the Senate and House of Representatives, and shall take effect from the 2027 general election. Nothing in this Act extends to elections into the office of Governor or into a State House of Assembly.
2.Eligibility
A citizen of Nigeria who is ordinarily resident outside Nigeria, has attained the age of eighteen years, and holds a valid Nigerian passport is eligible to register and vote under this Act. Residence outside Nigeria shall not of itself operate to disqualify a citizen from the franchise.
3.The diaspora register
The Commission shall compile and maintain a Diaspora Voters Register, kept separately from the National Register of Voters. Registration shall be effected in person at a Nigerian diplomatic or consular mission, or by such electronic means as the Commission may prescribe by regulation.
4.Verification
The Commission shall verify each applicant against passport records held by the Nigeria Immigration Service. Where a discrepancy arises, the applicant shall be given not less than twenty-one days to respond before the application is refused, and shall be informed in writing of the ground of the refusal.
5.Polling at missions
The Commission shall designate every Nigerian diplomatic and consular mission as a polling area for the purposes of this Act, and shall publish the list of designated missions not later than ninety days before polling day.
6.Transmission and collation
Results from each designated mission shall be transmitted electronically to the Commission and collated into the federal result, and shall be published on the Commission's website within twenty-four hours of the close of poll.
This is a readable rendering for citizens. The authoritative text is the gazetted version, which we have not yet linked for this bill.
Intro· Senate
12 March 2026
First reading.
Intro· Senate
26 March 2026
Second reading; referred to the Committee on Electoral Matters.
Voted· Senate
14 May 2026
Committee reported back with amendments to sections 3 and 4.
Voted· Senate
1 June 2026
Division on the floor — carried.
Hadiza Bello
Sponsor · Senator · PDP
Senate — Second reading
Sitting of 1 June 2026
Official text
Not yet linked for this bill.
Today in the Assembly
Sittings, motions and divisions, day by day
See something wrong or missing?
- AMAisha Mohammed10 Sept 2026, 11:53
Section 4 is the part that matters — it finally puts a deadline on the commission.
- JJJoseph Jeremy10 Sept 2026, 11:53
Agreed on the deadline, but who funds the rollout? The bill is silent on that.
- TATola Adebayo10 Sept 2026, 11:53
The committee minutes from March answer that — capital vote, not recurrent.