Falana laments Nigeria has replaced democracy, seeks NBA summit on 2023 election review
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN has lamented that “people have lost confidence in the democratic process” because “plutocracy has replaced democracy in Nigeria.”
Democracy is government of the people by the people for the people. Plutocracy is government by the rich or of an elite or ruling class whose power derives from their wealth, not from the people. A plutocracy is not accountable to the people.
Falana spoke in a keynote address – titled, “General Elections in Nigeria 2023: A Review of the Nation’s Political Culture and Electoral Integrity” – he delivered at the 2023 Law Week Programme of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Benin branch, held in Benin City.
Falana implored the NBA to put pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to “address the problems of the late arrival of INEC officials and ballot materials at the polling stations, malfunctioning BVAS machines, and limited or non-transmission of the results from the polling units to Results Viewing Portal (IReV).
He reiterated that out of the 93 million voters that were registered; only 22 million voted in the presidential election.
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NBA to organise national summit on 2023 election review
“INEC must also address insecurity at some polling units, including violent attacks on voters and officials, voter intimidation, snatching and destruction of voting materials, significant cases of vote-buying, and limited access facilities for persons living with disabilities,” Falana added, per reporting by Vanguard.
“The Benin branch of the NBA should prevail on the national body of lawyers to convoke a national summit to review the 2023 general elections as soon as the curtain is drawn on the election petitions by the various election petition tribunals, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
“The NBA should ensure that the summit is attended by the representatives of all relevant stakeholders.
“At the end of the programme, the NBA should collaborate with the judiciary committees of both Houses of the National Assembly in drafting amendments to the Constitution and the Electoral Act to institutionalise credible elections in Nigeria.
“All mass-based organisations must mobilise the Nigerian people to take their political destiny into their hands by participating in the democratic process.”