OKECHUKWU REJECTS COMPULSORY VOTING BILL, DEMANDS IMPLEMENTATION OF UWAIS REPORT
Prominent APC founding member Osita Okechukwu has warned against the proposed legislation to enforce compulsory voting in Nigeria, describing it as punitive and misdirected. While addressing the media in Abuja, Okechukwu acknowledged the low voter turnout plaguing Nigeria’s democracy but argued that coercion is not the solution.
The proposed amendment to the Electoral Act 2022—spearheaded by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and co-sponsored by Hon. Daniel Asama—aims to emulate countries like Australia and Brazil where voting is mandatory. But Okechukwu, a former Director General of Voice of Nigeria, said forcing participation in a broken system is akin to punishing victims of bad governance.
Instead, he urged the National Assembly to prioritize recommendations from the Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Committee, especially the public nomination of INEC commissioners. “The surest way to restore trust in the electoral system is to implement the Uwais Report,” he said, invoking Einstein’s caution against repeating failed methods.
