The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has slammed the National Assembly over a proposed bill to make voting mandatory and jail Nigerians who fail to vote.
NANS, in a statement by its National Vice President, Inter-Campus and Gender Affairs, Akinbodunse Felicia, on Sunday, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, described the bill as not only “ridiculous but laughable,” urging the NASS to ditch the ludicrous idea or face the wrath of the Nigerian students.
The NASS had proposed a new bill, titled ‘Bill for an Act to Amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make it mandatory for all Nigerians of majority age to vote in all National and State Elections and for Related Matters.’
If passed, the bill would make voting mandatory for all eligible Nigerians, marking a significant shift in Nigeria’s electoral landscape.
The proposed bill seeks to amend the current Electoral Act of 2022 by enforcing compulsory participation in national and state elections.
It proposes that any eligible voter who fails to vote without a valid reason would face a penalty, including a fine of N100,000, a six-month jail term, or both.
The bill, which has sparked heated debates across the country, according to NASS, aims to address voter apathy, a persistent issue in Nigerian elections, and increase civic participation in the democratic process.
Since the House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, proposed the bill, it has raised concerns about the imposition of penalties for non-participation.
Akinbodunse, however, in the statement, said the proposed bill is a misplaced priority by the NASS and should be discarded accordingly.
She added that voting, which is a constitutional right of Nigerians who are eligible to vote, cannot be imposed on them, particularly when they strongly feel their votes don’t count.
She noted that instead of the NASS proposing bills to strengthen the electoral process that will truly reflect the wishes of Nigerians, it has busied itself to further strangle Nigerians by proposing punitive measures against non-voters.
Akinbodunse, who declared that NANS will mobilise massively against the bill, urged civil societies, organised labour and other stakeholders to stand against the proposed bill, which she described as a “low one from the National Assembly”.
“NANS views the proposed bill by the National Assembly to impose a fine and a jail term on eligible Nigerians who do not vote, as not only ridiculous but laughable.
“The bill, if it is passed, will make Nigeria a laughing stock among the comity of nations in the world. Where in the world does a nonparticipant in an election get jailed or fined?
“It is unfortunate that NASS, which is saddled with the constitutional responsibility and duties to make laws that will ensure the development of the nation and protect the citizens, is the one proposing a bill capable of strangulating the same people.
“Instead of the NASS to make laws that will strengthen our democracy and enhance the electoral processes, it has busied itself to pass a bill that will infringe on the rights of Nigerians.
“It is known by Nigerians that the country’s electoral processes are still fraught with irregularities and loopholes that give room for electoral fraud and rigging.
“This is the area NANS expects the National Assembly to work on. Rather, it has continued to make Nigerians doubt the competence and sincerity of members of both the Senate and House of Reps.
“This proposed bill is another comedy show from the stable of the NASS. As an umbrella for the students in the country, NANS will mobilise massively against this proposed bill aimed at imposing a needless law on Nigerians.
“NANS leadership hereby urges civil society groups, stakeholders and organised labour to rise against this latest charade by the National Assembly,” the statement stated.
