A civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, has strongly opposed a bill currently before the National Assembly that seeks to introduce compulsory voting in Nigeria and impose a six-month jail term on eligible voters who fail to vote.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the organisation’s Executive Director, Mr Samson Itodo, described the proposed legislation as draconian.
Itodo acknowledged that the bill was introduced as a legislative response to Nigeria’s persistently low voter turnout, which has long been a concern within the country’s electoral system. However, he criticised the bill’s coercive approach, arguing that it violates the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.
“The right to abstain from voting is itself a legitimate form of political expression, protected under both domestic and international human rights law,” he said.
Itodo highlighted that voter turnout in Nigeria has varied significantly over the years, shaped by a combination of political and systemic factors. According to him, turnout was 34.6% in 1979, 38.9% in 1983, and 35% in 1993. There was a notable increase to 52.3% in 1999, peaking at 69.1% in 2003.
He noted that the trend reversed in later years, with turnout falling to 57.5% in 2007, 53.7% in 2011, 43.7% in 2015, 34.7% in 2019, and reaching a record low of 27.1% in the 2023 elections. This, he said, makes Nigeria the largest democracy in Africa with the lowest voter participation.
“Democracy is rooted in freedom, which includes the right to either participate in or abstain from elections. Compulsory voting infringes on this freedom, and punishing individuals for non-participation undermines the core values of democratic engagement,” he stated.
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Call for Electoral Reforms Instead
Rather than enforcing voting through punitive measures, Itodo urged the National Assembly to focus on electoral reforms aimed at restoring public trust, enhancing the integrity of elections, and removing structural and systemic barriers to participation.
He outlined key reform priorities, including mandatory electronic transmission of results, a review of the appointment process for INEC officials, the introduction of early and diaspora voting, and greater transparency in election management.
“Voter apathy cannot be addressed through punishment but through trust, electoral justice, and institutional accountability,” he said.
Itodo concluded by calling on the National Assembly to reject the proposed bill and instead direct its legislative efforts towards passing amendments that would broaden voting access, ensure electoral transparency, and uphold the political rights of all Nigerians.
