Deborah Akinyosoye
A bill to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory for Nigerians of voting age has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
The proposed legislation was sponsored by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Daniel Ago.
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 second reading, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Akwa Ibom State, Mark Esset, 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.
Nevertheless, the bill was unanimously adopted through a voice vote and referred to the appropriate committee for further legislative action.