A proposal to revise the Electoral Act of 2022, to make it mandatory for Nigerians of voting age to participate in elections has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
This bill was sponsored by House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and Rep. Daniel Ago.
During the debate on the bill on Thursday, Rep. Ago, stated that the proposed bill intends to boost citizen engagement in the electoral process, highlighting that if the legislation scales through legislative scrutiny, it could reduce voter apathy during elections.
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However, opposing the bill, Rep. Mark Esset, a representative of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Akwa Ibom State, argued that creating a mandatory voting law alone will not suffice to enhance the electoral framework.
“We should not build on a weak foundation. If the public has lost trust in the electoral process, significant efforts are required to improve it.
“Numerous Nigerians abstain from voting because they feel their votes are meaningless. If we are to implement a law to enforce voting, we also need to introduce another law to ensure that their votes carry weight,” he remarked.
