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A bill seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make voting mandatory for all eligible Nigerians has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill, jointly sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Daniel Ago, was presented during Thursday’s plenary.
While leading the debate, Ago explained that the legislation aims to boost citizens’ participation in elections, arguing that it could help reduce voter apathy if it successfully passes all legislative stages.
However, Mark Esset, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party representing Akwa Ibom State, expressed reservations.
He argued that merely mandating citizens to vote would not be sufficient to reform the electoral system.
“We shouldn’t build on a shaky foundation,” Esset stated.
“Many Nigerians abstain from voting because they doubt the credibility of the process. If we’re going to make voting compulsory, we must also ensure that people believe their votes truly count,” he added.
In other news, The crisis currently rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has worsened as the South East caucus of the party has threatened mass exit from the troubled party if its choice of Hon. Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary is not respected for the umpteenth time.
This was even as the governor of Enugu State and leader of the PDP in the zone, Dr. Peter Mbah, said it was time for the zone to speak with one voice, while the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and former governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, expressed fury over what they described as the party’s disrespecting and trampling of the region.
The zone vented its displeasure in a communique read by the Zonal Chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, at the end of a meeting by the South East Zonal Executive, ZEC, at the Government House, Enugu on Wednesday.
