Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has officially withdrawn the controversial Compulsory Voting Bill, which aimed to amend the Electoral Act 2022 and make voting mandatory for all eligible Nigerians.

The announcement was made on Monday in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, citing “extensive consultations with a broad spectrum of stakeholders” as the basis for the decision.

Co-sponsored with Hon. Daniel Adama Ago, the bill was originally proposed to increase civic engagement and boost voter turnout by drawing from global examples such as Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Argentina, and Singapore—countries with mandatory voting laws and participation rates exceeding 90 percent.

“The Bill was introduced with the best of intentions… but lawmaking must ultimately respect public sentiment and individual freedoms,” Speaker Abbas stated.

He stressed that future electoral reforms would instead focus on encouraging voluntary participation by offering incentives and making the voting process more accessible and appealing to Nigerians.

“This withdrawal will allow time for further dialogue on how best to cultivate a culture of voluntary participation that honours both our democratic ideals and the rights of our citizens,” he added.