‘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 usage of statement for governorship primaries, particularly successful Ogun State, arsenic “extortion” and “plutocracy” that undermines democracy.

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

He argued that electoral integrity cannot beryllium without transparent enactment primaries.  

“Please, fto america halt deceiving ourselves. If you are going to speech astir electoral integrity, you indispensable commencement with the primaries,” helium said.  

According to him, statement arrangements contradict enactment members the close to freely take their candidates, adjacent though the Electoral Act allows some nonstop and statement methods.

The SAN besides raised alarm implicit what helium called increasing threats to Nigeria’s multi-party system, informing that deregistering governmental parties and blocking others from elections could trigger a governmental crisis.  

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

He further condemned the monetisation of politics, citing the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, who alleged that immoderate governorship aspirants spent b...