Bill For Compulsory Voting By Eligible Nigs Passes 2nd Reading

The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory for all eligible Nigerians in national and state elections.

The bill, jointly sponsored by Speaker Dr Abbas Tajudeen and Hon. Daniel Asama, aims to address the persistent issue of low voter turnout in Nigeria’s electoral process and strengthen democratic participation.

Leading debate on the general principles of the bill, Asama described voting as both a right and civic duty, stressing that active citizen engagement is vital for any thriving democracy, noting that making voting mandatory would reduce apathy and increase political inclusiveness.

However, several lawmakers expressed concerns over the feasibility of enforcing compulsory voting.

Awaji-Inombek Abiante,Mark Esset, Ghali Mustapha raised questions about how the policy would be implemented, the integrity of the voter register, and whether it would be fair to penalize citizens in a system where electoral outcomes are often disputed.

In contrast, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and Akarachi Amadi spoke in support of the bill, arguing that mandatory participation would deepen civic engagement and ownership of Nigeria’s democracy.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji