By Kolawole Ojebisi
A bill seeking 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, sponsored by the Speaker of the Green Chamber, Tajudeen Abbas, passed the second reading stage after an extensive debate on Thursday.
Setting the ball of debate rolling was the co-sponsor, Daniel Ago, who made a case for the proposed legislation.
Ago maintained that there is a need to review the Electoral Act 2022 to address the challenge of voter turnout which has been consistently low over the years.
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He said compulsory voting law would increase civic engagement and voter participation, making electoral involvement a legal obligation rather than a personal choice.
Speaking further on the merits of the bill, Ago said that its passage will strengthen democracy by increasing citizens’ participation in the process that leads to the emergence of their leaders
He also added that the bill, if passed into law, will reduce vote buying.
Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker, supported the bill and said adding that citizens are expected to perform certain civic responsibilities.
He buttressed his point with the decision of Australia to make voting mandatory by criminalizing abstainnance, stressing that the move has resulted in a stable and inclusive governance in the country.
“In Australia, it is an offence not to vote in any election. There are some incentives that you will be denied for not voting,” he said.
Kalu said Nigerians should be part of the decision-making in elections.
Meanwhile, expressing a contrary view Awaji-Inombek Abiante, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) member from Rivers state, argued that there are no incentives for citizens to support a compulsory voting law.
Abiante referenced Kalu’s argument, asking what incentives citizens would be denied if they do not vote.
“What are the incentives that would be denied to citizens?” he asked. “Voting should be free,” Abiante added.
Abiante also expressed concerns about the voter register, saying, “It is not clean”.
“Who will provide the logistics for Nigerians abroad to come home and vote?” Abiante asked.
But Abbas responded, noting that there are some exceptions in specific laws.
Backing Abiante’s stance on the bill, Mark Esset, a lawmaker from Akwa Ibom state, said the house should not enact a compulsory voting law when citizens have “lost confidence” in voting process.
“It is a good bill, but we are trying to build something on nothing. While we want to make voting compulsory, there should also be a law to make voting count,” he said.
While lawmakers were opposing the bill, Kalu consistently interrupted them, citing order 9, demanding that they confine their argument to the rules of the debate.
Abbas had to correct him, clarifying that the debates were in line with the bill’s general principles.
However, after intense and extensive debate, the speaker called for a voice vote on the bill, the “ayes” were louder than the “nays”.
According to the legislature’s standing order, the “ayes” signalled the bill scaling to the second stage of reading.
