Yiaga Africa Berates ‘Draconian’ Bill Mandating Compulsory Voting, Jail Term for Defaulters

Yiaga Africa Berates ‘Draconian’ Bill Mandating Compulsory Voting, Jail Term for Defaulters

By Matthew Eloyi

A leading civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, has strongly opposed a bill currently before the National Assembly that seeks to make voting compulsory in Nigeria and proposes a six-month jail term for eligible voters who fail to vote.

The Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Mr. Samson Itodo, in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, described the bill as “draconian” and a gross violation of fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

While acknowledging that the bill was intended as a legislative response to Nigeria’s persistently low voter turnout, Itodo criticised the coercive approach adopted by the bill’s sponsors.

“Indeed, the right to abstain from voting is itself a legitimate form of political expression protected under domestic and international human rights law,” he stated.

Itodo noted that Nigeria’s voter turnout has historically been inconsistent due to a wide range of political and systemic factors. He provided historical data to contextualise the trend, recalling that voter participation was 34.6 percent in 1979, rising modestly to 38.9 percent in 1983, and standing at 35 percent in 1993.

“A notable surge occurred in 1999 with a turnout of 52.3 per cent, followed by a peak in 2003 when 69.1 per cent of registered voters participated,” he said.

However, the upward trend reversed in subsequent polls, recording 57.5 percent in 2007, 53.7 percent in 2011, 43.7 percent in 2015, 34.7 percent in 2019, and reaching an all-time low of 27.1 percent in 2023.

“The sharp decline has positioned Nigeria as the largest democracy in Africa with the lowest voter turnout,” he added.

According to Itodo, the proposed bill fails to address the real causes of voter apathy, including distrust in the electoral process, manipulation of election outcomes, and widespread dissatisfaction with governance.

“Democracy thrives on freedom which includes the choice to participate or abstain from voting. Compulsory voting undermines this democratic freedom and punitive sanctions for not voting erode the foundational principles of voluntary democratic engagement,” he asserted.

Rather than force citizens to vote under threat of imprisonment, Itodo called on lawmakers to pursue electoral reforms that would rebuild public trust, enhance the credibility of elections, and eliminate systemic obstacles to participation.

“These include reforms that guarantee mandatory electronic transmission of results, review of the mode of appointments into INEC, early voting, diaspora voting and improved transparency in the management of elections,” he said.

He emphasised that voter apathy should be tackled through trust, electoral justice, and government accountability — not punishment.

Itodo therefore urged the National Assembly to reject the proposed compulsory voting bill and instead channel its legislative energy into passing amendments that expand voting access, ensure electoral transparency, and protect the political rights of all Nigerians.