Nigeria scraps controversial bill making voting mandatory

Africanews (in English)

Nigeria scraps controversial bill making voting mandatory  The bill sailed through its second reading 10 days, but was sharply criticised by lawyers and rights groups.  READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/05/27/nigeria-scraps-controversial-bill-making-voting-mandatory  Subscribe on our Dailymotion channel and receive all the latest news from the continent.    Africanews is available in English and French.  Website : www.africanews.com  Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/africanews.channel/  Twitter : https://twitter.com/africanews

Transcript

00:00Following a backlash from lawyers and rights groups, Nigeria has scrapped a controversial bill that would have made voting mandatory.

00:09It had proposed a six-month jail term or a $63 fine for eligible voters who failed to cast their ballots.

00:17The bill had sailed through its second reading in Parliament ten days ago.

00:22In recent years, Nigerians have been increasingly reluctant to go vote.

00:26Turnout in national elections has steadily declined, with the 2023 presidential poll recording a 27% turnout, the lowest since the country's 1999 return to democratic rule.

00:39The House of Representatives speaker, who co-sponsored the bill, said it was introduced with the best of intentions.

00:46He said he'd hoped it would bolster civic engagement and strengthen Nigeria's democracy.

00:50But some rights groups described the move as both draconian and unconstitutional,

00:55while lawyers said it would be logistically impossible to prosecute the millions of Nigerians who may decide to boycott polls.

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