The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has declared its intent to legally challenge the controversial bill seeking to make voting compulsory for all eligible Nigerians, warning that it poses a grave threat to constitutional liberties and undermines democratic principles.
The bill, which has passed a second reading in the House of Representatives, was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, and it seeks to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to criminalise voter abstention.
It proposes a fine of up to ₦100,000 or imprisonment for eligible citizens who fail to vote in national and state elections.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a press statement issued in Abuja on Friday condemned the bill as a dangerous and unconstitutional overreach that seeks to enforce democratic participation through coercion, rather than building trust in the electoral process.
“This is not just an ill-advised piece of legislation; it is a blatant assault on the fundamental rights enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. Voting is a right, not a state-imposed obligation. Any attempt to transform that right into a mandatory duty, punishable by law, is dictatorial and anti-democratic,” Onwubiko stated.
He disclosed that HURIWA is already in advanced consultations with a consortium of human rights lawyers and constitutional experts, with the intention of filing a suit to stop the bill, even before it becomes law, citing its inherent unconstitutionality and dangerous implications for democratic freedoms.
Citing Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantee freedom of expression and association respectively, HURIWA emphasised that these rights include the freedom not to engage — a crucial but often overlooked element of participatory democracy.
HURIWA therefore called on other civil rights organisations, pro-democracy advocates, and public interest litigators to unite in opposition to the bill and join its legal action against it.