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MAKING VOTING COMPULSORY IN NIGERIA
It is no longer news that a bill seeking to make voting compulsory in Nigeria has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives. The penalty for lawbreakers is #100,000 or 6 months imprisonment. No be Gadus be that?

It is very infelicitous to come up with this idea at this moment of our history. Making voting compulsory now is like adding petrol to fire and salt to injury 🩸. Nigeria is not yet ripe to adopt compulsory voting. It can do that as soon as practicable.

At the moment, Nigeria is not well and political apathy is not the cause of the problems; Insecurity is the order of the day. Citizens have lost confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission as winners are declared by courts and no longer INEC. Every election ends in the court of law. Unemployment and poverty are on the increase. You don't expect citizens to participate fully in Nigerian election when there is Electoral fraud,false declaration of election results and what have you.

Comparing Nigeria to Brazil, Belgium and Australia where voting is compulsory seems we don't know what we are doing. You wake up one day and begin to compare Nigeria and other countries without putting a lot of factors in to consideration. For it works in Brazil with a population of 212.7million doesn't mean it would work in Nigeria that we don't even know our number. The population of Belgium is just 11.7million whereas that of Australia 🌏 is 26.9 million.

Nigerians are beginning to know that PresidentAsiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinububu is not their problem but their law makers at the Federal level and Governors. The National Assembly members receive not less than a billion naira for constituency projects. Today , Governors receive humongous allocation from the Federal Government which has never happened in the history of Nigeria. Hold your representatives and governors accountable instead of over blaming Tinubu. He may mean well for Nigerians but the saboteurs around him will make him fail.

WHAT MUST BE DONE TO END POLITICAL APATHY IN NIGERIA

1. Make a law that will sentence corrupt leaders to death. If you do this, Nigerians will come out in large number to vote. In fact ,na run dey run go vote. On part of the leaders ,they will perform well. Who go gree die? In Igala ,we say" Ahimu Ahimu ichemuna"
2. Make a law that will make votes count In Nigeria. If this is not put in place, then get ready to arrest and jail many Nigerians but don't forget to build plenty prisons
3. Amend 60% of the 1999 constitution. The Constitution is not for Nigerians. It was a military constitution. If you study the said constitution,you will know that it has elements of Unitarianism
4. The electoral Act of 2022 should be amended.

CONCLUSION
Voting apathy in Nigeria grows year by year especially among the youths. Making it compulsory at this moment of our history is not the best. It can come later but not now. Nigeria at the moment needs to undergo surgical operations vis-a-vis the constitution and the way elections are being conducted and the aftermath. Compulsory voting can come after the said surgical operations. Roma locuta infinta est.

Written by:
Author Sule Mohammed Utenwojo.

Policy Analyst

2/5/2025

The proposal is a mere distraction.

The lawmakers should focus on more important bills than this one

Until elections are decided at the polling boots and not the supreme Court, any attempt at criminalizing voter apathy will receive a strong pushback from the populace.


Also, to prevent ballot stuffing, snatching or vandalism, the electoral commission through legislation should start thinking of electronic voting.

This is a well thought out piece.

Sulemohammed01:
It is very infelicitous to come up with this idea at this moment of our history. Making voting compulsory now is like adding petrol to fire and salt to injury 🩸. Nigeria is not yet ripe to adopt compulsory voting. It can do that as soon as practicable.

Actually, making voting compulsory and fining those who don't vote is what will reduce voters apathy.

Sulemohammed01:
At the moment, Nigeria is not well and political apathy is not the cause of the problems;

Voters apathy is the cause of Nigeria not being well!

Voting apathy even allows those who will make Nigeria more unwell to get elected by the few who are not apathetic to voting, which is why Tinubu presides over us today after having been elected by a mere 10m voters, while the majority were apathetic and did not bother to get off their asses and vote.

Sulemohammed01:
You don't expect citizens to participate fully in Nigerian election when there is Electoral fraud,false declaration of election results and what have you.

Yes, I do "expect citizens to participate fully in Nigerian election", and because "there is Electoral fraud, false declaration of election results and what have you".

If more people vote and monitor their voting so it is accurately counted, there'd be less "Electoral fraud, false declaration of election results and what have you".

Sulemohammed01:
Nigerians are beginning to know that PresidentAsiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinububu is not their problem but their law makers at the Federal level and Governors.

The "law makers at the Federal level and Governors" that we voted for, or rather didn't vote for due to our voting apathy, which is why we should be forced to vote, I say.

Sulemohammed01:
WHAT MUST BE DONE TO END POLITICAL APATHY IN NIGERIA

Be forced to vote, and be fined if we don't vote, obviously.

Sulemohammed01:
2. Make a law that will make votes count In Nigeria. If this is not put in place, then get ready to arrest and jail many Nigerians but don't forget to build plenty prisons

What, pray tell, is the point of "making a law that will make votes count In Nigeria" when we don't vote in Nigeria due to our voting apathy?

What votes will your law count if we don't vote?

Sulemohammed01:
CONCLUSION
Voting apathy in Nigeria grows year by year especially among the youths. Making it compulsory at this moment of our history is not the best.

I think you are funny, and at the same time I very much appreciate your post.

If voting apathy is growing year by year, will a law that forces you to not be apathetic to voting not stop that voting apathy?

That all said, the law can not force anyone to actually vote since I can just spoil my ballot so it registers that I voted. But I should not then complain if the elected person does not rule as I'd want.

The below says "affairs", but I'm claiming it means vote!

Compulsory voting in Nigeria is a welcome idea.

Compulsory making of votes to count is what is lacking in Nigeria.

Well said but anything without electronic voting while there must be effective penalizing of electoral fraud.

I support compulsory voting, but we can only do that after we have addressed some of the concerns raised.

No edi!ot can force me to vote in Nigeria.



I never voted and will never vote in Nigeria elections.

Well done.

chiagozien:
No edi!ot can force me to vote in Nigeria.

I never voted and will never vote in Nigeria elections.

And so he proudly states.

Making voting compulsory in Nigeria is a great idea. This will make the politicians accountable and serve as a deterrent for their atrocities.

Anyone that refuses to vote should face the consequences.

You all think I will ever que on the line to vote for fools??

Compulsory voting is a welcome idea.