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A bill to amend the Electoral Act 2022 and to make voting mandatory for Nigerians who are of age has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
According to online reports, the proposed legislation was sponsored by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Daniel Ago.
Ago, who led the debate during Thursday’s plenary, stated that the bill is meant to encourage citizens’ participation in the electoral process.
He added that voter apathy during elections would be addressed if the bill scales legislative scrutiny.
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While the bill scaled through second reading, Mark Esset, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Akwa Ibom State, noted that 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,” Esset said.
