Speaker Tajudeen Abbas Withdraws Controversial Bill to Make Voting Mandatory in Nigeria
Nigeria’s Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has officially withdrawn a proposed bill that seeks to make voting compulsory for eligible Nigerians.
The bill, which was co-sponsored by Abbas and Daniel Ago, the lawmaker representing Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency of Plateau State, had stirred debate across the country after passing its second reading in the House on May 15.
While presenting the bill during the earlier debate, Ago argued that the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 was aimed at combating Nigeria’s chronically low voter turnout. According to him, transforming voting from a personal choice into a legal obligation would dramatically boost civic engagement and strengthen the nation’s democratic foundations.
“From the outset, the bill was introduced with the best intenstions which is to bolster civic engagement and strengthen our democracy by encouraging higher voter turnout,” Musa Krishi, Special Advisier on Media and Publicity for Abbas, said in a statement on Monday, May 26.
According to the statement, “compulsory voting has long been practised with notable success in countries such as Australia, Belgium, and Brazil, where it has helped sustain participation rate above 90 percent.”
However, it noted that the “Speaker acknowledges that lawmaking is ultimately about the people it serves and that any reform must respect individuals freedoms and public sentiment.”
