The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has come hard on the National Assembly over a proposed bill seeking to compel eligible Nigerians to vote or face stiff penalties, including a N100,000 fine or a six-month jail term.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the NANS National Vice President for Inter-Campus and Gender Affairs, Akinbodunse Felicia, described the bill as “not only ridiculous but laughable,” warning that Nigerian students will not sit back while lawmakers trample on the rights of citizens.
The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Electoral Act 2022 to Make It Mandatory for All Nigerians of Majority Age to Vote in All National and State Elections,” is aimed at tackling voter apathy. But NANS thinks the move misses the point.
“Voting, which is a constitutional right of Nigerians who are eligible to vote, cannot be imposed on them, particularly when they strongly feel their votes don’t count,” Akinbodunse said.
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She accused the National Assembly of turning a blind eye to the real problems plaguing the electoral system and instead choosing to punish citizens who have lost faith in an already weak process.
“It is known by Nigerians that the country’s electoral processes are still fraught with irregularities and loopholes that give room for electoral fraud and rigging. This is the area NANS expects the National Assembly to work on,” she said.
According to her, the bill is not only out of touch with reality but also makes a mockery of the democratic process.
“NANS views the proposed bill by the National Assembly to impose a fine and a jail term on eligible Nigerians who do not vote as not only ridiculous but laughable.
“The bill, if it is passed, will make Nigeria a laughing stock among the comity of nations in the world. Where in the world does a nonparticipant in an election get jailed or fined?” she queried.
Akinbodunse didn’t mince words, warning that Nigerian students will not accept what she described as a legislative overreach.
“This proposed bill is another comedy show from the stable of the NASS. As an umbrella for the students in the country, NANS will mobilise massively against this proposed bill aimed at imposing a needless law on Nigerians.”
She urged civil society organisations, organised labour, and other well-meaning Nigerians to rise up against what she called “a low one from the National Assembly.”
“It is unfortunate that NASS, which is saddled with the constitutional responsibility and duties to make laws that will ensure the development of the nation and protect the citizens, is the one proposing a bill capable of strangulating the same people,” the statement concluded.
