On failed attempt to criminalize our frustration!

By Chike Onwe

In a move that reeked of desperation rather than democratic intent, the National Assembly recently attempted to force upon Nigerians one of the most infamous pieces of legislation in recent memory—a bill to make voting compulsory.

Yes, in a country where elections are often marred by institutional failure, violence, electoral fraud, voter intimidation, and the nagging suspicion that votes don’t count, the lawmakers thought the solution was not to fix the system but to criminalize the citizen’s rights to opt out of it.

That was an audacious attempt to mask authoritarianism with the language of civic duty—a bill no one asked for, and few would have obeyed.

It was indeed surprising that in the face of crumbling institutions, grinding poverty, widespread insecurity, and a generation losing faith in leadership, the supposed voice of the people decided that the most urgent priority was to force us to vote. Not to reform the system. Not to rebuild trust. But to coerce participation, not because they value our voices. I dare assume it was out of fear of the people’s silence.

Let’s be clear: that move wasn’t about democracy. It was about control. It was not a democratic reform, but a legislative threat. It was punishment disguised as patriotism. In a country where many feel their ballot is a ceremonial ritual for the show, where rigging is folklore, and where voting often feels like a performance in a play with a predetermined end, the honourable men in the cosy chambers wanted to criminalize abstention? They thought force was the answer. How wrong!

Merely contemplating this law was an admission – an admission that the lawmakers know legitimacy is slipping from their grasp, an admission that they no longer have the answer to the troubles that plague Nigeria; that Nigerians are waking up; that the silence of the electorate is no longer apathy—it’s protest. And in their thinking, the best way to respond to protest was not by listening but by punishing it. But you know what: democracy cannot be forced.

So to these honourable men and women in the hallowed chambers, those tireless champions of the people’s will, ever so attuned to the heartbeat of the average Nigerian — thank you for the brief entertainment.

Sorry, it failed. I hope you learn the lesson that you can’t legislate trust. You earn it. You may write the laws but the people will always write the history. Let’s hope next time, your legislative creativity is aimed at, say, fixing the actual democracy instead of forcing participation in its illusion.

Let history record this moment: when you tried to force obedience in the name of democracy, the people saw through the mask. This bill’s death is not just relief—it’s resistance. May every one of you remember that democracy is not built on coercion. It’s built on trust. And until it is earned, let those who make the law fear the silence of the people they cannot command.

Good riddance!

Chike Onwe
Abakaliki