Response to the Proposed Bill on Mandatory Voting and Criminal Penalties

The League for Social Justice (LSJ) strongly condemns the recent legislative attempt to criminalize non-voting citizens through a proposed amendment to the Electoral Act that would impose a N100,000 fine or six months imprisonment on any Nigerian adult who chooses not to vote. This is not legislation, it is legislative bullying wrapped in the language of civic duty.

Let us be clear: voting is a right, not a compulsory ritual under threat of state-sanctioned punishment. The right to vote includes the right not to vote, especially in a political climate where citizens are routinely betrayed, ballots are discounted, elections are rigged, and those in power act with impunity. You cannot coerce trust in a system that has not earned it.

It is astonishing, and frankly insulting, that rather than pass urgent reforms to address electoral violence, vote buying, systemic disenfranchisement, judicial collusion, and voter suppression, the House of Representatives believes that the best way to “strengthen democracy” is by punishing victims of a broken system for their justified skepticism.

We ask:

• Has the National Assembly fixed the electoral register riddled with ghost names and dead voters?

• Has it passed diaspora voting laws for the millions of Nigerians abroad who fund the economy but are barred from participating in elections?

• Has it reformed the rigged appointment process for INEC commissioners or tackled the security lapses that keep citizens home on election day?

No. Instead, they criminalize the consequence of their own failure (voter apathy) as if the people owe loyalty to a system that has long stopped working for them.

Moreover, the very process through which this bill passed second reading, ignoring an overwhelming “nay” voice vote, is emblematic of the exact reason why Nigerians stay away from the polls. Representation has become theater, and legislative power is being weaponized against the governed.

The League for Social Justice aligns with the concerns raised by lawmakers who see through this charade. We also remind Speaker Tajudeen and Hon. Ago that you cannot jail your way into legitimacy. Civic participation must be inspired through integrity, not intimidation.

If this government wants higher voter turnout, it must start by restoring faith in the vote itself, not criminalizing the lack of it.

We call for the immediate rejection of this bill at committee level and demand instead:

• Electoral justice reform

• Diaspora voting rights

• Constitutional amendments to ensure the independence of INEC

• And full protection of every Nigerian’s right to choose if, when, and how to participate in the democratic process

To force participation in a rigged system is not democracy. It is desperation.

League for Social Justice (LSJ)

Democracy must be earned, not enforced at gunpoint.