Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, has withdrawn the controversial bill proposing mandatory voting in elections for all eligible Nigerians.
Titled “A 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”, the bill was sponsored by the Speaker. It was co-sponsored by Daniel Adama Ago, a house member representing Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency.
When the proposed bill to mandate voting passed the second reading at the house of representative on May 15, it attracted backlash from the public.
While many questioned the motive and drew attention to the general lack of confidence in the voting system, some were concerned that making voting compulsory violated the fundamental right to freedom of choice.
On Monday, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, the special adviser on media and publicity to Abbas, announced the Speaker’s decision to withdraw the bill. He claimed that the decision was based on “extensive consultations with a broad spectrum of stakeholders”.
Details later…
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