HURIWA SLAMS COMPULSORY VOTING BILL AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND DRACONIAN

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has declared its intention to legally challenge the controversial bill seeking to make voting compulsory for all eligible Nigerians. The bill, sponsored by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, proposes a fine of up to ₦100,000 or imprisonment for eligible citizens who fail to vote in national and state elections.

HURIWA 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,” the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said.

According to Onwubiko, voting is a right, not a state-imposed obligation, and any attempt to transform that right into a mandatory duty punishable by law is “dictatorial and anti-democratic”. HURIWA is already in advanced consultations with human rights lawyers and constitutional experts to file a suit to stop the bill, citing its inherent unconstitutionality and implications for democratic freedoms.

The group emphasized that increasing voter turnout is a legitimate policy goal, but it must not come at the expense of civil liberties. “Compelling people to vote through threats of punishment does not build democracy — it destroys it,” HURIWA stated. Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution guarantee freedom of expression and association, which include the freedom not to engage, and refusing to vote is a political statement that cannot be criminalized, the group argued.

HURIWA called on other civil rights organizations, pro-democracy advocates, and public interest litigators to unite in opposition to the bill and join its legal action against it. “This is the moment for every patriotic citizen to speak out. Today, it’s compulsory voting. Tomorrow, it could be state-mandated political allegiance or punishment for non-membership of parties,” Onwubiko warned.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) have also expressed opposition to the bill, describing it as unconstitutional and draconian. “Democracy thrives on consent, participation, and trust, not coercion,” the NBA stated. Falana argued that compulsory voting cannot be legalized in vacuo and would be practically impossible to prosecute millions of Nigerians who may decide to boycott elections.