The House of Representatives has passed a bill to amend the Electoral Act 2022, making voting compulsory for Nigerians of voting age.
The Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Daniel Ago sponsored the proposed legislation.
Leading the debate during plenary on Thursday, Ago said the bill aimed to encourage citizens’ participation in the electoral process, noting that voter apathy during elections would be addressed if the bill scales legislative scrutiny.
Although the bill passed its second reading, Mark Esset, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Akwa Ibom State, said enacting a law to make voting compulsory is not enough to sanitise the 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.
“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,” he said.
