House of Reps Speaker withdraws bill seeking to make voting mandatory

House of Reps Speaker withdraws bill seeking to make voting mandatory

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen has withdrawn the Bill to Amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make vote casting obligatory for all eligible Nigerians.

The Special Adviser to the Speaker on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi, who disclosed this in Abuja on Monday, May 26, stated the withdrawal observed great consultations with a vast spectrum of stakeholders.

Abbas insisted that the Bill turned into delivered with the quality of intentions to strengthen civic engagement and improve Nigeria’s democracy with the aid of using encouraging better voter turnout.

“Compulsory vote casting has lengthy been practised with exceptional fulfillment in international locations consisting of Australia, Belgium and Brazil, wherein it has helped preserve participation fees above ninety according to cent, at the same time as countries like Argentina and Singapore have additionally carried out comparable measures to foster inclusivity on the poll box.

Nevertheless, the Speaker recognizes that lawmaking is in the long run approximately the humans it serves, and that any reform ought to admire man or woman freedoms and public sentiment.

Rather than compel participation, he’s dedicated to exploring effective incentives and modern strategies a good way to make vote casting greater appealing and reachable to all Nigerians.

This withdrawal will permit time for similarly communicate on how quality to domesticate a lifestyle of voluntary participation that honours each our democratic beliefs and the rights of our residents ,” the speaker’s spokesman stated

The House of Representatives had handed the invoice for the second one reading, which sought the change of the Electoral Act, 2022 to make vote casting in countrywide and kingdom elections obligatory for all residents of vote casting age from 18 years and above.