Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has condemned the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s use of consensus in governorship primaries, particularly in Ogun State, describing the practice as “extortion” and “plutocracy” that weakens democratic principles.
Falana made the remarks on Thursday while delivering a lecture at the 8th Penpushing Annual Lecture held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta. The event was themed, “Restoring Electoral Integrity: The Path to Good Governance and Public Accountability.”
He maintained that genuine electoral integrity must begin with transparent and credible party primaries, stressing that the process through which candidates emerge is as important as the general election itself.
“Please, let us stop deceiving ourselves. If you are going to talk about electoral integrity, you must start with the primaries,” he said.
The senior lawyer argued that although the Electoral Act recognises both direct and consensus methods of selecting candidates, the consensus option is often manipulated to deny party members the opportunity to freely choose their preferred aspirants.
Falana also expressed concern over what he described as increasing threats to Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, warning that attempts to deregister political parties or prevent them from participating in elections could create serious political instability.
“Political exclusion has historically encouraged undemocratic forces to undermine democratic institutions across Africa,” Falana said.
He further criticised the growing influence of money in Nigeria’s electoral process, referring to allegations by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, that some governorship aspirants spent between ₦20 billion and ₦30 billion during party primaries.
“If you are spending between ₦20 billion and ₦30 billion on a primary election, how much are you going to spend in the real election?” he asked.
Falana questioned the source of such enormous funds, arguing that they could hardly have been legitimately acquired. According to him, the commercialisation of politics fuels corruption and erodes democratic values.
He called for far-reaching reforms to strengthen internal party democracy, reduce the influence of money in politics, and safeguard the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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