FEMI FALANA SLAMS PROPOSED BILL ON COMPULSORY VOTING AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has condemned a bill proposing compulsory voting in Nigeria, calling it a blatant violation of the Constitution. The bill, sponsored by House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, seeks to penalize eligible voters who abstain from elections with a ₦100,000 fine or six-month jail term.
Falana, in a statement on Monday, May 19th warned that such legislation is not only undemocratic but practically unenforceable. He cited constitutional provisions guaranteeing freedom of thought, privacy, and conscience — including Sections 37, 38, 77(2), 135(5), and 178(5) — which allow citizens the right to abstain from voting without coercion.
Referencing the 2001 Supreme Court ruling in Medical and Dental Practitioners v Okonkwo, Falana argued that individual rights, including the right to refuse participation in state-sanctioned acts, must be protected. He also drew parallels with rulings that upheld Muslim students’ rights to wear hijabs, reinforcing the judiciary’s record of defending personal liberties. Falana urged lawmakers to withdraw the bill, emphasizing that compelling millions to vote under threat of punishment is neither feasible nor constitutional.
