A bill proposing a jail term for eligible Nigerians who fail to vote has scaled second reading at the House of Representative.
The bill, which is sponsored by Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, passed the second reading stage after an extensive debate on Thursday.
The bill is titled ‘Bill for an Act to Amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make it mandatory for all Nigerians of majority age to vote in all National and State Elections and for Related Matters’.
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It prescribes a maximum of six months imprisonment or fine of not more than N100, 000 for any Nigerian of voting age who fails to vote during elections.
Currently, the legal framework governing elections in Nigeria is clearly defined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022.
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The constitution grants every Nigerian citizen who has attained the age of 18 the right to vote. However, it stops short of making voting a mandatory civic duty. This might not necessarily be an error on the part of the framers of the constitution.
The Electoral Act, on its part, outlines the procedures and regulations for conducting elections but does not impose penalties on citizens who choose not to participate in the electoral process. This might not necessarily be an oversight either.
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