The Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, has said that Nigeria would not be the first country to introduce compulsory voting laws.
However, he strongly disagrees with the idea of sending people to jail for not voting. He described the six-month jail term as too harsh and said it takes away people’s freedom to choose whether or not to take part in elections.
A report by the DAILY POST revealed that the House of Representatives is discussing a new bill to change the Electoral Act 2022. The goal is to make voting compulsory for all eligible Nigerians.
This bill was introduced by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, and another lawmaker, Daniel Ago. It was presented during a House meeting on Thursday.
While talking about the bill, Daniel Ago said the aim is to get more people involved in voting. He believes that making voting mandatory could help reduce the lack of interest that many Nigerians have in elections.
During an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Itodo explained that countries like Australia already have compulsory voting laws.
He said he understands why lawmakers want more voter turnout. Nigeria has the highest number of registered voters in Africa, but still, only 25% voted in the last election. That number is very low.
Even though he sees the reason behind the bill, Itodo said forcing people to vote and punishing them with jail time is too extreme. He called it “draconian” and said it goes against the idea of free participation.
In his opinion, the bill is an overreaction and probably won’t be passed into law. He also said that not voting is also a form of political expression, and that choice should be respected.
According to him, if lawmakers want more people to come out and vote, they should focus on making sure that every vote truly counts. When people believe their votes matter, they will be more likely to vote.
He also added that elected leaders should work hard to improve the lives of citizens. When people see changes in their daily lives because of elections, they will want to vote again.
But if people vote and later feel disappointed because leaders do not solve problems or fulfill promises, they will lose interest in the process.
He ended by saying that when politicians only care about getting rich and don’t help the people, voting starts to feel like a waste of time. That’s why many Nigerians choose not to vote.
