Following media reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made provisions for diaspora or out-of-country voting for the 2019 General elections, INEC has asked Nigerians to disregard all such reports in a statement it issued on Thursday, 13th December, 2018.
However, INEC has reiterated that IDPs who are registered voters will be allowed to vote during the elections. The concerns about the possible disenfranchisement of IDPs across the Country have been put to rest by a framework developed by INEC at its Stakeholders Validation Conference on the Framework for IDPs’ Voting. It provides that IDPs currently residing in the States where they registered, will be allowed to vote at all elections but displaced persons who are now living in States other than where they are registered to vote, will only be allowed to vote during the Presidential elections. Allowing IDPs to vote is part of the Commission’s vision to uphold the principles of inclusivity and participation in Nigeria’s democratic project.