Momoh Umar Momoh, Benin
Yiaga Africa has urged the Nigerian National Assembly (NASS) to prioritize electoral reforms that rebuild public trust, improve election integrity, and remove structural and systemic barriers to participation rather than proposing a bill to make voting compulsory.
The electoral reforms the organization wanted the national lawmakers to prioritize are reforms that guarantee mandatory electronic transmission of results, review the mode of appointments into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), early voting, diaspora voting, and improved transparency in the management of elections
Stallion Times reports that the bill, which seeks to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory for all eligible voters in the country, has scaled second reading on Thursday at the House of Representatives.
The bill was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, (APC), representing Zaria and Daniel Ago (LP) representing Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituencies respectively.
Presenting the bill on the floor of the House, Daniel Ago said it seeks to make voting compulsory in Nigeria and also prescribed a six-month jail term on eligible voters who refuse to vote at election.
Reacting to the bill, which has scaled second reading, Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, in a statement, titled “Voting Is a Right, Not a Duty to Be Criminalized,” made available to newsmen on Friday, unequivocally rejected the proposed bill.
Itodo opined that the right to abstain from voting is itself a legitimate form of political expression protected under domestic and international human rights law.
He noted that compulsory voting undermines democratic freedom and that the punitive sanctions for not voting erodes the foundational principles of voluntary democratic
engagement.
He added that democracy thrives on freedom, which includes the choice to participate or abstain from voting.
The Yiaga Africa Boss posited that the bill in its entirety fails to address the drivers of voter apathy, such as distrust in the electoral process, election manipulation, and poor governance.
“Yiaga Africa unequivocally rejects the proposed bill under consideration in the National Assembly seeking to introduce compulsory voting in Nigeria and prescribing a six-month jail term on eligible voters who refuse to vote at elections.
“The bill is conceived as a legislative intervention to address the abysmally low voter turnout. While the rationale for the bill is plausible because it aims to address one of the biggest challenges in Nigeria’s electoral system, the strong-arm approach adopted by the bill is draconian, and it constitutes a gross violation of constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights.
“Indeed, the right to abstain from voting is itself a legitimate form of political expression protected under domestic and international human rights law.
“Voter turnout in Nigeria has fluctuated significantly over the years, reflecting a complex interplay of political and systemic factors that influence electoral participation.
“In 1979, the turnout stood at 34.6%, increasing slightly to 38.9% in 1983 and holding at 35% in 1993. A notable surge occurred in 1999 with a turnout of 52.3%, followed by a peak in 2003, when 69.1% of registered voters participated.
“However, this upward trend reversed in subsequent elections: 57.5% in 2007, 53.7% in 2011, 43.7% in 2015, 34.7% in 2019, and a historic low of 27.1% in 2023”, he said.
Itodo contended that the sharp decline positioned Nigeria as the largest democracy in Africa with the lowest voter turnout.
He said Yiaga Africa believes that voter apathy isn’t addressed with imposing punishment for not voting but can be addressed through trust, electoral justice, and accountability.
“We therefore urge the National Assembly to reject the proposed bill and channel its legislative efforts towards passing the electoral amendment that expands access to voting, guarantees electoral transparency, and protects the political rights of all Nigerians.
“This bill, if passed, sets a dangerous precedent. It criminalizes political choice and undermines the democratic freedom to abstain from a right protected under our Constitution and international law,” he stated.
