The House of Representatives has passed a bill for a second reading which seeks to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory for Nigerians of voting age.
The Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Daniel Ago co-sponsored the proposed law.
Leading the debate at the floor of the House on Thursday, Ago said the law intended to enhance citizens’ engagement in the electoral process, stressing that voter apathy during elections would be addressed if the bill scales congressional scrutiny.
Although the bill passed second reading, Mark Esset of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State believes that making voting compulsory is insufficient to cleanse 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.
Details later…
