Senior Advocate of Nigeria and prominent human rights lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba, has strongly opposed the proposed legislation seeking to make voting mandatory for all eligible Nigerians, declaring that he would prefer imprisonment to obeying such a law.
Speaking on Monday, Agbakoba condemned the National Assembly’s push for compulsory voting, arguing that the bill fails to address the underlying reasons behind voter apathy in the country.
“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 stated.
He questioned the rationale behind the bill, urging lawmakers to focus instead on why many Nigerians are disinterested in the electoral process. “Why would the National Assembly want to impose compulsory voting? Why don’t they reverse the question and say, Why are Nigerians not interested? What is the apathy about?” he asked.
Agbakoba attributed voter disengagement to long-standing issues of exclusion and unfulfilled political promises. “The apathy is that they don’t get anything. If I know that I’m going to get something—there’s an aspiration, there’s an interest—you will find people coming out to vote. But then people see the same old trick. You come, you take my vote, you disappear till the next four years. There’ll be apathy,” he added.
He argued that Nigeria’s democratic challenges are rooted in systemic exclusion. “Right now, we have a big problem with having a system that excludes. I think you will find the biggest problem we have in Nigeria is around exclusion… People are not taking part in the process,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Agbakoba warned that Nigeria’s democracy would remain fragile if it continues to prioritize political power over citizen welfare. “Suddenly, you have a big issue of coalitions and defections. Why? I have not heard many politicians talk about people—about the welfare of Nigerians, about their suffering, about their inadequate opportunities,” he said.
He also acknowledged that while Nigeria has had some good leaders, the overall quality of leadership has been poor, contributing to widespread disillusionment with the political process.
“That’s why I refer to the fact that we have voter apathy and disinterest. So, unless we ask ourselves and interrogate the issue behind this lack of interest in voting, we will not get it right,” Agbakoba noted.
The proposed legislation—A Bill for an Act to Amend the Electoral Act, 2002—has already passed second reading in the House of Representatives. It is sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Labour Party lawmaker Daniel Asama Ago. Proponents argue that compulsory voting could reduce voter apathy and limit vote-buying, citing examples from countries like Australia.
However, the bill has sparked significant opposition. Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, also rejected the proposal, calling it both unconstitutional and unenforceable. In a statement titled ‘Compulsory Voting Is Not Enough’, Falana warned that the bill contradicts constitutional protections relating to privacy, freedom of thought, and conscience.
“It is practically impossible to prosecute millions of Nigerians who may decide to boycott national and local elections that have been reduced to the periodic renewal of misgovernance, corruption, and abuse of power,” Falana stated.
