A new law is being proposed in Nigeria that would force every eligible voter to take part in national and state elections. This means everyone who can vote would have to vote, or face penalties.

Olisa Agbakoba, a well-known human rights lawyer and senior advocate, strongly opposes this idea. He says he would rather go to prison than obey such a law. Speaking on a popular TV program, he made it clear that forcing people to vote is not the right way to solve the problem of low voter turnout.

Agbakoba believes the government should focus on understanding why many Nigerians don’t want to vote instead of making voting compulsory. He said, “If this law passes, I will not obey it. I’d prefer to go to jail for six months rather than vote because I disagree with being forced.”

He explained that voter apathy comes from years of being left out and broken promises by politicians. Many people feel their votes don’t matter because politicians ask for votes and then disappear without helping them afterward.

According to Agbakoba, the biggest problem in Nigeria’s democracy is exclusion. The political system leaves many people out, and this causes them to lose interest in voting and politics.

Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, he warned that Nigeria’s democracy will fail if it continues to benefit only a small group of elites. Politicians seem interested only during election time and forget about the people’s real problems once they get power.

Agbakoba said Nigeria needs a new political system because the current one doesn’t work for most citizens. He also agreed that poor leadership is the main reason why many Nigerians don’t care about voting.

Although there have been some good leaders, overall leadership in Nigeria has been weak and hasn’t improved the lives of many people. This is why many voters don’t see the point in participating.

He also pointed out that big cities like Lagos do not represent the whole country, as many parts of Nigeria face more serious challenges.