A proposed law to make voting mandatory for all eligible citizens in Nigeria has moved a step closer to becoming reality after passing a significant stage in the country’s House of Representatives.
The bill, which seeks to amend the existing Electoral Act, passed its second reading during a parliamentary session on Thursday. This stage signifies that lawmakers have approved the general principles of the proposed legislation, allowing it to proceed for more detailed committee review.
Leading the debate, one of the bill’s sponsors, Daniel Ago, argued that the measure is designed to increase citizen participation in the electoral process and address the issue of voter apathy often seen during Nigerian elections. The Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, is also a sponsor of the bill.
However, the proposal was met with some reservations. Mark Esset, a lawmaker from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, contended that simply compelling citizens to vote would not be sufficient to reform the electoral system.
“If citizens have lost confidence in the electoral system, there is a lot of work to be done,” Mr Esset stated. He added, “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.”
The bill will now undergo further legislative scrutiny before it can be considered for a final vote and potential passage into law.
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