By Mark Mayah
The House of Representatives has withdrawn its controversial bill to force Nigerians to vote or face jail.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who co-sponsored the bill alongside Daniel Ago, the lawmaker representing Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency of Plateau State, formally pulled the plug after what he called “extensive consultations.”
The bill, which had already passed second reading in the House on May 15, sought to amend the Electoral Act 2022 by making voting in elections a legal obligation, not a personal choice.
Nigerians who failed to show up at the polls would have faced a N100,000 fine or six months behind bars.
During the debate, Ago had argued that the bill would address Nigeria’s chronic voter apathy, boost civic engagement, and curb vote-buying.
But critics had swiftly condemned the bill.
In a Monday statement signed by his media aide, Musa Krishi, Abbas said, “While the bill was introduced with good intentions, to bolster civic engagement and strengthen our democracy, it must be acknowledged that any reform must respect individual freedoms and public sentiment.”
The Speaker tried to soften the retreat by name-dropping countries like Australia, Belgium, and Brazil, where compulsory voting laws have boosted turnout. But in the end, even he conceded that forced democracy isn’t democracy at all.
He promised to pursue “positive incentives” instead of punitive measures to encourage Nigerians to vote, suggesting the National Assembly may try again, just with a softer touch.
For instance, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) slammed the bill as “regressive” and unconstitutional. Civil society organisations (CSOs) didn’t hold back either, accusing the lawmakers of trying to bulldoze fundamental rights under the guise of democratic reform.
Two Nigerian civil society organisations had also described the proposed bill as “unconstitutional, illegal, and impractical” given the country’s current legal, political, and infrastructural realities.
The organisations are the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL).
In a letter signed by Debo Adeniran, National President of CDHR and Chairman of CACOL, and addressed to the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, the groups argue that Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution guarantee freedom of expression and association, including the right to abstain from voting.
The groups further argued that good governance, inclusive politics, and anti-corruption reforms are more effective ways to combat voter apathy than compulsion.
