By Tony Adibe
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has advised the National Assembly to avoid making bad laws for Nigerian voters, who are he regarded as “victims of electoral malpractices.”
Okechukwu, a foundation member of the ruling APC, spoke in Abuja on Sunday while answering questions from journalists on the controversial bill that seeks to make voting mandatory for Nigerians of voting age.
NewsBits recalls that the House of Representatives on Thursday (14 May 2025) approved for second reading a bill seeking to make voting during elections in Nigeria mandatory. The bill, which is sponsored by the speaker, Tajudeen Abbas and Daniel Adams, is seeking an alteration of Sections 9,10, 12 and 47 of the Electoral Act, 2022, to make it compulsory for Nigerians who have attained 18 years to register and vote in elections.
The proposed legislation, which was passed for second reading during Thursday’s plenary, prescribes a 6-month jail term or fine of N100,000 for anyone who has attained 18 years and fails to vote in elections.
But Okechukwu, while speaking to journalists on the issue, first commended them for sharing “our concern that low voter turnout undermines electoral legitimacy, judiciary and weakens democratic institutions,” although he quickly “vehemently condemned making bad laws for the victims of electoral malpractices.”
The former Director General of VON stated that the greatest number of Nigerians are the “victims of electoral malpractices, opaque judiciary and attendant bad governance; therefore, it will be double jeopardy to punish them for the electoral malpractices which discouraged them and the recession of democracy which we, the leaders, simulated.”
He said: “It will be recalled that the House of Representatives (HOR) proposed a 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 and for Related Matters” sponsored by Speaker, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.
Whereby the co-sponsor Hon Daniel Asama, representing Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency, stated inter alia, “Voting is not only the right, but a civic responsibility. For global precedents, several democracies, including Australia, Belgium, and Brazil, for instance, have adopted mandatory voting for positive outcomes in terms of political participation and public accountability. For electoral apathy and voter inducement, mandatory voting can significantly reduce the influence of vote buying as more citizens vote.”
Okechukwu insisted that the only politically correct antidote to halt electoral malpractices, opaque judiciary, and restore electoral legitimacy and strong democratic institutions is to adopt good laws therein Uwais Report eg – the Public Nomination of both National and State Electoral Commissioners, to attract seamless mass voting.
He reminded Nigerians of Albert Einstein’s admonition that if you continue to do one thing all over and expect better results it is nothing but insanity. Okechukwu said: “Therefore, it is arrant fallacy to assume that BIVAS and other digital technologies will guarantee free, fair and transparent elections when Mr Osita Okechukwu or whosoever is allowed to nominate his cronies, family and party members to manage our electoral system.
“May I commend Honourable Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and Honourable Members for sharing our concern over poor turnout of voters, opaque judiciary, and recession of democracy in our clime, and appeal to him to adopt the fine tenet of the Uwais Report that mandates Nigerians to nominate National and State Electoral Commissioners.
“Permit me as well to state that there is no time more auspicious for our great party, the APC to consolidate the legitimacy of our democracy and put Nigeria top in the map of the world than now; when we have a true democrat as president, control more than 20 States, the Senate, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly of our dear country.
“No excuse, if for nothing else there is no better time to recover the legitimacy of our democracy, fulfill the noble intendment and immortalise our famous democrat, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, of blessed memory, who patriotically admitted that the electoral process which made him president was flawed than now we are in charge. And there is no doubt that if he had outlived his tenure, he could have implemented the fine grains of the Uwais Report.”
