The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas’s withdrawal of the mandatory voting bill is a step in the right direction. It shows that the lower chamber of the National Assembly has a listening ear. By reneging on the bill’s passage, members of the House of Representatives have also shown that they truly represent their citizens.
The scrapping of the disputed bill came after the Green Chamber was lambasted by stakeholders who described it as obnoxious, nauseating, inappropriate, and ill-timed.
Recall that the Speaker had announced the withdrawal of a bill seeking to make voting compulsory for adult Nigerians. The bill stipulated that eligible Nigerians who fail to vote during elections could face a penalty of up to six months in prison or a fine not exceeding N100,000. The bill, co-sponsored by Daniel Ago, the honourable member of the House representing Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency, was introduced in February to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory for all eligible Nigerians.
Nigerian elections have always witnessed voter apathy. For instance, the 2023 presidential election recorded a record-low voter turnout of 28.6%. Out of 87.2 million Nigerians who collected their permanent voter cards, only 25.43 million exercised their franchise, indicating that three out of 10 voters who registered and obtained their permanent voter cards cast their ballots. Instead of dissipating their energy on the self-serving, ill-conceived bill, the members of the House of Representatives should debate extensively on why Nigerian voters display a lackadaisical attitude towards voting.
It is therefore pertinent to ask why elections in Nigeria witness voter apathy. Are elections or electioneering so fearful that citizens will not want to exercise their civic rights? Are the voting populace discouraged because the politicians have let them down, failing to deliver on their promises? Are they discouraged because of election malpractices? Are they discouraged because their vote will not count? These, and many other questions, must be answered instead of moving for a bill that will mandate adult Nigerians to vote.
To discourage voter apathy, politicians must convince disillusioned voters that they can reap the benefits of democracy. Nigerian politicians need to endear themselves to the hearts of voters by initiating laudable programs and citizen-centred projects that seek to better their lives. By this, voters will be attracted to voting because they already know they are being represented by those who have their interests at heart.
To attract a high number of votes, treasury pillaging, profligacy, self-centeredness, wastage, misappropriation of public funds, corruption, embezzlement, and other electoral vices must be nipped in the bud.
Politicians are voted into power to represent the electorate well and deliver dividends of democracy. From the local councilors, chairmen, state house of assembly members, governors, national assembly members, ministers, to the president, all must assiduously provide social infrastructure that will positively impact the lives of the citizens.
When citizens enjoy good roads, adequate power generation, water supply, and a promising economy where citizens can realise their potential, they will vote en masse during the next elections. Even though there are electoral laws guiding election misdemeanours, the Nigerian electoral process is fraught with errors, violence, manipulation of figures, and electoral malpractices such as vote buying and selling, ballot box snatching, underage voting, and the use of thugs to intimidate voters, among others.
Voters will not be willing to vote when they know they may lose their lives in the process; they will not vote when they know their security is not guaranteed; they will vote when they know their vote will not count. The National Assembly will never be able to find a solution to voter apathy until it shows good electoral conduct.
