By EricJames Ochigbo
A bill to amend the Electoral Act (2002) to require Nigerians of maturity age to vote in all national and state elections has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill, sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, and Daniel Ago, seeks to curb voter apathy during elections.
Leading the debate, Ago said participation was essential for a healthy democracy.
He said that democracy thrives when citizens are actively engaged in selecting their leaders and shaping the direction of governance.
The lawmaker said Nigeria had consistently recorded an alarming low voter turnout in elections.
According to him, less than 30 per cent of the registered voters participated in the 2023 general elections.
“This trend undermines the legitimacy of elections and weakens democratic institutions. Voting is not only a right but a civic responsibility, and in many democracies worldwide, it is treated as such.
This bill proposes to introduce mandatory voting for Nigerians of voting age in general elections at the national and state levels.
“It seeks to amend the relative provisions of the Electoral Act of 2022 to reflect the obligations while also allowing for limitation and justified exemptions where necessary,” he said.
In his contribution, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, said: “One of the roles of a parliament is to check where holes are and find solutions to block such holes.”
According to him, it is obvious that election after election has recorded very low voter turnout; in a country as big as Nigeria, “when you hear the Patriots song of votes coming out of Nigeria, it does not encourage the advancement of our democracy.
“The bill that is before us is not saying a Nigerian must vote, it is saying that you must be counted in every election, whether it be local government, state or federal.
“In other climes that we have travelled to or lived in, personally in Australia, it is an offence for you not to vote during elections.
“And the tax office will visit you and find out why you did not vote. And there are some incentives as a citizen that will be denied because you refuse to fulfil your civic responsibility,” he said.
On his part, Awaji-Inombek Dagomie Abiante (PDP-Rivers) questioned the mode of implementation of the proposed law.
He advised that attention should focus on making the election process free and fair, saying that citizens would go out to vote if they trusted the process.
In his ruling, the Speaker referred the bill to the relevant committees for further legislative action.
