“I’d Rather Be Jailed Than Comply with Compulsory Voting” — Olisa Agbakoba

Human rights lawyer Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, has strongly opposed the proposed bill in Nigeria’s National Assembly that seeks to make voting compulsory. Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme, Agbakoba declared that he would rather face imprisonment than comply with mandatory voting. He described the bill as misguided, arguing that it fails to address the underlying causes of voter apathy in the country.

Agbakoba criticized the National Assembly for focusing on enforcement rather than understanding why many Nigerians are disengaged from the electoral process. He emphasized that voter apathy stems from long-standing political exclusion and unfulfilled promises, not from a lack of civic responsibility. According to him, the democratic challenges Nigeria faces are rooted in systemic exclusion that alienates many citizens.

Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Agbakoba warned that Nigeria’s democracy will continue to struggle if it remains a system that benefits only a select elite. He linked the low voter turnout to broader political failures and questioned the appeal of public office under current leadership.

The bill in question, which recently passed the second reading in the House of Representatives, aims to require all eligible Nigerians to vote in national and state elections. It is jointly sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Labour Party lawmaker Daniel Asama Ago.