Femi Falana slams APC consensus primaries, describing the ruling party’s adoption of consensus candidates in governorship primaries as “extortion” and “plutocracy” that weakens Nigeria’s democracy. Speaking in Abeokuta on Thursday, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria argued that credible elections must begin with transparent party primaries.
Addressing the 8th Penpushing Annual Lecture at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Falana said electoral integrity cannot exist if political parties deny members the opportunity to choose candidates freely.
“Please, let us stop deceiving ourselves. If you are going to talk about electoral integrity, you must start with the primaries,” he said.
Although Nigeria’s Electoral Act permits consensus and direct primaries, Falana argued that the growing use of consensus, particularly in Ogun State, sidelines party members and concentrates power in the hands of a few political elites.
Furthermore, Femi Falana slams APC consensus primaries as a practice that commercialises politics instead of strengthening democratic participation. He warned that internal party democracy must improve if Nigeria hopes to restore public confidence in elections.
The human rights lawyer also cautioned against attempts to weaken Nigeria’s multi-party system. According to him, deregistering political parties or preventing them from participating in elections could fuel political instability.
“Political exclusion has historically encouraged undemocratic forces to undermine democratic institutions across Africa,” Falana warned.
Meanwhile, he condemned what he described as the monetisation of politics. Referring to comments by EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, Falana said reports that some governorship aspirants spent between ₦20 billion and ₦30 billion during party primaries raised serious concerns.
“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 argued that such enormous spending could hardly come from legitimate sources and instead fuels corruption while weakening democratic institutions.
He therefore urged lawmakers, political parties and electoral stakeholders to introduce reforms that would strengthen internal party democracy, curb the influence of money in politics and restore confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
His remarks come as debates over electoral reforms and party democracy continue ahead of future elections, with many observers calling for greater transparency and accountability in candidate selection.
