Barring any last minute change, human rights lawyer, Barrister Femi Falana (SAN) has concluded plans to sue political parties in the country for selling nomination forms to party members despite several court judgement stopping the act. According to the legal titan, the sale of the forms is simply an act of commercialization of the electoral process.

The stand of Falana couldn’t have come at a time other than this when major public analyst are worried about the success of the recently signed #Nottooyoungtorun Bill which according to them will be hampered by the high cost of electioneering process in the country. The unethical practice which is a norm with all political parties has contributed to the spate of corruption in the country.

Majority of political aspirants have resorted to loans and promissory notes to raise funds for their elections as they lack the financial wherewithal to prosecute the election. The coming of the ruling party which campaigned on a mantra of change was expected to change the expensive electoral process but nothing has changed. The nomination form for the position of the President goes for a whooping Twenty Seven Million Naira only while the opposition Peoples Democratic Party sells theirs for Twelve million Naira.

These two abnormal situations exists in all political parties and there is no sign it will stop anytime soon. Political parties through the high fee imposed on nomination forms has shut out credible aspirants from contesting while the thieves and the morally corrupt have taken over the political space.

The necessary electoral reforms Nigeria craves for will start from the correction of the flawed internal democratic process of Political parties in the country as this is the nucleus of the whole electoral process. The decision of Femi Falana (SAN) to sue these parties is necessary and timely to save democracy from being hijacked by thieves and nonentities.

tosin adesina