The House of Representatives has taken a major step toward making voting compulsory for all eligible Nigerians, as a new bill passed its second reading on Thursday.
The bill, which seeks to amend the Electoral Act 2022, was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, and lawmaker Daniel Ago.
While speaking during plenary, Ago said the bill is aimed at increasing citizens’ participation in elections and reducing voter apathy in the country.
“This bill is to make sure Nigerians take part in choosing their leaders. When people vote, they help build the nation,” Ago said.
He explained that many Nigerians stay away from voting during elections, and making it compulsory will help change that.
However, not all lawmakers agreed with the approach. Mark Esset, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Akwa Ibom State, said that just forcing people to vote is not enough to fix Nigeria’s electoral problems.
“Let us not put something on nothing,” Esset said. “Many Nigerians do not vote because they believe their votes won’t count. If we must make a law to make voting compulsory, we must also make another one to make their votes count.”
The bill’s second reading means it has crossed an important stage in the law-making process. It will now move to the committee stage for more review and possible changes before it can become law.
Voter turnout in Nigeria has been low in recent elections. The move to make voting compulsory is seen as one way to get more people involved in democracy.
