House of Reps considers bill to make voting mandatory for all Nigerians

In a bold legislative move aimed at tackling voter apathy, the House of Representatives has advanced a proposed amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 that seeks to make voting compulsory for all eligible Nigerians.

The bill, sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and co-sponsored by lawmaker Daniel Ago, passed second reading during Thursday’s plenary session. If passed into law, the amendment would mark a significant shift in Nigeria’s electoral framework, making participation in elections a civic duty enforced by law.

While presenting the bill, Daniel Ago stressed the importance of strengthening democratic engagement, noting that voter apathy continues to undermine the integrity of the electoral process. He argued that mandatory voting could encourage a more active citizenry and produce more representative outcomes at the polls.

Despite support for the bill moving forward, some lawmakers raised concerns about the broader implications. Mark Esset, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party representing Akwa Ibom State, cautioned that compulsion alone would not fix the deep-rooted issues within Nigeria’s electoral system.

“Let us not put something on nothing. If citizens have lost confidence in the electoral system, there is a lot of work to be done,” he said.

“Many Nigerians do not vote during elections because they believe that their votes will not count. If we must make a law to make voting compulsory, we must also make another one to make their votes count,” Esset added.

The bill will proceed through further legislative scrutiny before it can be enacted into law.