The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has formally withdrawn the proposed bill seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting compulsory for all eligible Nigerians.
The withdrawal was announced in a statement released on Monday by the Speaker’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi.
Krishi stated, “Following extensive consultations with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, he has decided to withdraw the Bill to Amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting mandatory for all eligible Nigerians, which he co-sponsored with Hon. Daniel Adama Ago.”
He added that the move is intended to “allow time for further dialogue on how best to cultivate a culture of voluntary participation that honours both our democratic ideals and the rights of our citizens.”
The bill, which passed second reading in the House in mid-May, had stirred significant debate and criticism from legal experts and civil society actors. Among the critics was human rights lawyer Femi Falana SAN, who strongly opposed the notion of compulsory voting in a democratic setting.
The withdrawal signals a strategic pause to foster wider consultation and consensus on electoral reforms going forward.
More details shortly…
