A bill seeking to introduce early voting for essential workers has scaled the second reading at the senate.
The bill, sponsored by Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, senator representing Katsina central, aims to introduce early voting for essential workers, including election officials, security personnel, journalists, and observers.
Nigerians in this category are often unable to vote on election day due to the peculiarity of their duties.
Leading the debate on the bill on Wednesday, Yar’Adua said the proposed amendment seeks to address the long-standing disenfranchisement of over one million citizens who play critical roles in ensuring free, fair, and credible elections.
He said Nigeria’s voter turnout has declined significantly over the past three election cycles, partly due to the exclusion of these workers.
“In any democratic process, equal opportunity must be given to all citizens to participate in elections, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religion, occupation, or socioeconomic status,” Yar’Adua said.
“This ensures the true reflection of the will of the people, thereby enhancing the stability of the democratic process.
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“Unfortunately, a huge number of Nigerians who are involved in making Nigeria’s elections a success are excluded from the crucial decision-making of choosing their leaders through the ballot.
“Over one million citizens who play critical roles in ensuring the smooth conduct of the elections are disenfranchised.
“These include INEC officials, including ad-hoc staff, the security personnel, journalists, observers, and others who work on election day to uphold the integrity of the process, who are effectively denied their right to vote because they are deployed to polling units far from where they registered.
“This is an irony that should not be lost on us, and this bill seeks to correct that by making provision for early voting for such citizens.”
He said the exclusion has characterised all elections in the Fourth Republic and became more alarming in the 2023 elections, with over one million ad-hoc staff disenfranchised.
Yar’Adua said the number of those excluded from voting could change the outcomes of election results.
“As lawmakers, it is our duty to ensure that every Nigerian citizen, regardless of their profession or duty on election day, has the opportunity to participate fully in the electoral process,” he said.
“Incorporating early voting in our electoral legal framework shall strengthen universal adult suffrage as our Constitution guarantees every eligible Nigerian the right to vote.”
The bill was subsequently referred to the senate committee on electoral matters for further legislative scrutiny.
The committee is expected to submit its report within four weeks.
