‘Plutocracy’- Falana slams APC consensus primaries, warns of threat to democracy

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has described the All Progressives Congress, APC’s use of consensus for governorship primaries, especially in Ogun State, as “extortion” and “plutocracy” that undermines democracy.

Falana spoke on Thursday at the 8th Penpushing Annual Lecture held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, themed“Restoring Electoral Integrity: The Path to Good Governance and Public Accountability.”

He argued that electoral integrity cannot exist without transparent party primaries.  

“Please, let us stop deceiving ourselves. If you are going to talk about electoral integrity, you must start with the primaries,” he said.  

According to him, consensus arrangements deny party members the right to freely choose their candidates, even though the Electoral Act allows both direct and consensus methods.

The SAN also raised alarm over what he called growing threats to Nigeria’s multi-party system, warning that deregistering political parties and blocking others from elections could trigger a political crisis.  

“Political exclusion has historically encouraged undemocratic forces to undermine democratic institutions across Africa,” Falana said.

He further condemned the monetisation of politics, citing the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, who alleged that some governorship aspirants spent between ₦20 billion and ₦30 billion during 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 alleged that such huge sums could not have come from legitimate sources, and that the practice promotes corruption and weakens democracy.

He called for urgent reforms to strengthen internal party democracy, curb the commercialisation of politics, and preserve the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process.

‘Plutocracy’- Falana slams APC consensus primaries, warns of threat to democracy