By Ayo Kehinde
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on the National Assembly to immediately withdraw a bill seeking to impose a six-month jail term or a fine of N100,000 on eligible voters who fail to cast their ballots in national and state elections.
Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP described the bill as “oppressive” and inconsistent with Nigeria’s Constitution and international human rights obligations.
The bill, currently before the National Assembly, proposes to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory, prescribing stiff penalties for non-compliance.
However, SERAP has urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to abandon the proposal and instead push for constitutional amendments that would eliminate immunity for state governors and their deputies accused of electoral offences, including vote-buying.
SERAP stated, “Jailing eligible Nigerians for deciding not to vote is entirely inconsistent with democratic principles.
“Rather than forcing people to the polls under threat of imprisonment, the National Assembly should focus on improving the electoral process, ensuring free and fair elections, and holding politicians accountable for electoral misconduct.”
The group also called for an amendment to the Constitution and Electoral Act to explicitly prohibit the appointment of political party members as resident electoral commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
SERAP warned that if the bill is not withdrawn and is eventually signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, it would take legal action to challenge its constitutionality and prevent its implementation.
“The right to vote also includes the right not to vote.
“Forcing citizens to participate in elections undermines the very essence of democracy. The National Assembly should instead propose laws that curb the excessive influence of money in politics and ensure a transparent electoral process that encourages voluntary participation,”the organisation argued.
The rights group further urged lawmakers to introduce reforms that would mandate the use of modern technology for voter registration, voting, and result collation to enhance electoral transparency.
“The real threat to Nigeria’s democracy is not voter apathy, but the impunity of politicians who manipulate elections and subvert the will of the people. Removing constitutional immunity for governors and their deputies involved in electoral fraud is key to restoring public confidence in the electoral process,” SERAP said.
It stressed that the major challenge facing the country’s democracy is a lack of trust in election outcomes, arguing that voter confidence could only be restored through comprehensive electoral reforms that guarantee free, fair, and credible polls.
