Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba, has condemned a proposed bill in the National Assembly that seeks to make voting mandatory for all eligible Nigerians, declaring that he would rather serve time in prison than comply with such a law.
Speaking on Politics Today, a political programme aired on Channels Television, Agbakoba described the bill as misguided and symptomatic of a more profound misunderstanding of Nigeria’s democratic crisis.
The legal luminary fiercely opposed what he termed “forced civic participation,” arguing that voter apathy cannot be resolved through coercion.
“Look at the ridiculous one in the National Assembly about voting being compulsory. If that bill were to pass, I would say, ‘Agbakoba, we will not obey it.’ I’ll plead conscientious objection. I’d rather go to prison for six months than to obey it,” he declared firmly.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Labour Party lawmaker Daniel Asama Ago sponsored the bill, which has already passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.
What does the bill say?
It proposes mandatory participation in national and state elections for all Nigerians of voting age.
But Agbakoba insists that compelling citizens to vote misses the point entirely. He challenged lawmakers to examine the real reasons behind the nation’s alarmingly low voter turnout, rather than punish citizens for disengagement.
“Why would the National Assembly want to impose compulsory voting?” he asked. “Why don’t they reverse the question and say, why are Nigerians not interested? What is the apathy about?”
For Agbakoba, the answer lies not in a lack of civic responsibility but in decades of exclusion, disenfranchisement, and unfulfilled political promises that have bred deep disillusionment among citizens.
“Exclusion is at the heart of Nigeria’s democratic failure,” he said, emphasising that the country’s political structure remains skewed in favour of a privileged few, leaving ordinary Nigerians alienated from meaningful political participation.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Agbakoba warned that unless systemic issues are addressed, voter turnout will continue to plummet, with devastating consequences for democratic legitimacy.
“Nigeria’s political failure is the core reason behind low voter turnout. Democracy cannot succeed if it continues to serve only a select elite,” he stated.
Agbakoba’s remarks have sparked renewed public debate about the nature of civic duty, state overreach, and the real drivers of political disengagement in Nigeria.
Critics of the bill echo his concerns, suggesting that compulsory voting would infringe on individual rights and fail to address the root causes of electoral disinterest.
Supporters of the bill argue that mandatory voting could improve democratic outcomes by increasing participation and ensuring broader representation.
However, the proposal remains controversial and is likely to face significant legal and political hurdles if it advances.
As the conversation around electoral reform intensifies, Agbakoba’s outspoken stance reinforces a broader call for reforms that prioritise transparency, accountability, and genuine public engagement over compulsion.
For many observers, his defiant pledge to resist the law—at the cost of his own liberty—signals a critical juncture in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
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