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.

Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, has said that he’s not interested in contesting for the presidency, saying he is satisfied with his current life and has no intention of seeking Nigeria’s highest political office.

Fashola made the declaration during an interview on TVC on Wednesday, where he dismissed speculation linking him with a presidential bid.

Asked if he would contest for president, the former minister gave a direct response: “No.”

When the interviewer sought further clarification on whether he was considering the presidency, Fashola replied with a smile, “President of what? I’m president at home.”

Reflecting on his over two decades in public service, the former Lagos governor described his career as an extraordinary privilege and expressed hope that his journey would inspire younger Nigerians.

“My journey has been an unimaginable privilege, and I hope that it, in some way, inspires another generation about the possibilities of this country,” he said.

Fashola added that Nigeria remained a country where people could rise from humble beginnings to positions of prominence.

“Particularly because when we celebrate dreams across the Atlantic, our country is also a place where there are so many stories of rags to riches and grass to grace. I hope that it inspires another generation,” he said.

On how he would like to be remembered, Fashola declined to shape his legacy, saying history should make its own judgment.

“Let history write whatever history wants to write. It is not in my place,” he said.

The former minister also declined to revisit debates over his preferred successor before the 2015 Lagos governorship election, refusing to comment on speculation involving Deputy Governor Kadri Hamzat and former Attorney-General Olasupo Sasore.

Fashola confirmed that he remains a member of the Lagos State Governance Advisory Council, stressing that there is “a thin line between intervention and interference.”

He also called for stronger public confidence in the judiciary, advocated a vibrant opposition to deepen democracy, urged greater national consensus on key policy issues, backed the establishment of state police while cautioning it would not be a quick fix to insecurity, and attributed Lagos’ recurring flooding partly to indiscriminate waste disposal despite the state’s coastal geography.

Robinson Ewor, former Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Acting Chairman, has insisted that Governor Sim Fubara is the problem of Rivers State and not the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.

Ewor claimed that a wrong perception was presented to the people of Rivers State when the war between Wike and Fubara started.

The face-off between Wike and Fubara over who heads the political structure in Rivers State led to the governor’s suspension for six months.

Following interventions from President Bola Tinubu and other relevant stakeholders, the duo resolved their crisis but the governor lost out during the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary election.

Yesterday, Fubara announced that the state would embrace the Rainbow Coalition propagated by Wike.

However, speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Ewor said: “Perception is different from reality. What I knew then and what I know now are two different things. Then, the perception was that Wike didn’t allow the governor, Fubara, to function.

“Today, we have come to realize that the problem of the state wasn’t Wike, it was the inability of Sim, the Governor himself, to be open to the people of Rivers.

“When the war started, what was presented to us was that Wike doesn’t allow the governor to do his work, that was what they presented to Rivers people.

“But Today that story has changed, even ourselves we have realized that Wike wasn’t stopping the governor from discharging his duties, so the information we had then and what we have now are two different things.

“The fact before Rivers people then and the facts before we the supporters of Fubara Today are not the same facts.”