LAGOS: Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Falana and Falana has firmly rejected a proposed bill seeking to make voting compulsory in Nigeria. He described the move as both unconstitutional and impractical under the current legal framework.
The bill, co-sponsored by Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas and Labour Party lawmaker Daniel Asama Ago, aims to amend the Electoral Act to mandate voting in national and state elections.
It proposes penalties for non-compliance, including a ₦100,000 fine or a six-month jail term for eligible citizens who fail to vote.
Defending the bill during plenary on Thursday, Ago, who represents Bassa/Jos North, argued that compulsory voting would combat voter apathy and reduce vote-buying.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu supported Australia’s success with mandatory voting as a civic responsibility tool.
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However, in a statement titled Compulsory Voting is Not Enough, Falana dismissed the proposal as inconsistent with Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
He noted that compulsory voting contradicts fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, including privacy, freedom of thought, and freedom of conscience.
Falana warned that Nigeria risked joining Egypt as the only African country with compulsory voting laws, out of just 23 countries globally with such provisions.
It is doubtful whether the Speaker and his colleagues have sufficiently considered the relevant constitutional provisions, Falana said, pointing specifically to Sections 37, 38, 77(2), 135(5), and 178(5), which, he argued, make the bill legally untenable.
