Prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba, has strongly criticised a proposed bill in the National Assembly that seeks to mandate compulsory voting and impose a six-month jail term on Nigerians who fail to vote.
Speaking on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Agbakoba described the bill as “ridiculous” and vowed not to comply with such legislation should it become law.
He argued that the real issue is not voter apathy but systemic failures within Nigeria’s democratic structure.
“If that bill were to pass, I would say, ‘Agbakoba, we will not obey it.’ I’ll plead conscientious objection. I’d rather go to prison for six months than obey it,” he stated.
The legal expert questioned the rationale behind the bill, urging lawmakers to address the root causes of widespread voter disengagement instead.
“Why would the National Assembly want to impose compulsory voting? Why don’t they reverse the question and say, Why are Nigerians not interested? What is the apathy about?” he asked.
Agbakoba attributed voter apathy to long-standing political exclusion and broken promises, explaining that many Nigerians have lost faith in a system that only seeks their votes but fails to deliver on governance.
“The apathy is that they don’t get anything. If I know that I’m going to get something—there’s an aspiration, there’s an interest—you will find people coming out to vote. But then people see the same old trick. You come, you take my vote, you disappear till the next four years. There’ll be apathy,” he said.
He further stated, “Right now, we have a big problem with having a system that excludes. I think you will find the biggest problem we have in Nigeria is around exclusion. That, I think, is the biggest problem—around exclusion. People are not taking part in the process.”
As Nigeria moves toward the 2027 general elections, Agbakoba warned that democracy in the country cannot thrive while remaining fixated on a narrow political elite. He criticised the prevailing culture of political coalitions and defections, asserting that they are driven by selfish motives rather than concern for the people.
“Suddenly, you have a big issue of coalitions and defections. Why? I have not heard many politicians talk about people—about the welfare of Nigerians, about their suffering, about their inadequate opportunities. I have not heard that.
“All I hear politicians do is, every four years, they jump up; they become active. Once they get power, they disappear. So for all these reasons, I think we need to look for a new model,” Agbakoba stated.
