Human rights lawyer Femi Falana and former House of Representatives member Usman Bugaje have slammed Nigeria’s political parties, citing them as a major factor hindering the country’s growth 65 years after independence.
Both statesmen expressed their views during Channels Television’s special broadcast marking Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary.
Falana criticised the “winner-takes-all” mentality prevalent in contemporary Nigerian politics, contrasting it with the more inclusive practices of the Second Republic.
He emphasised the need for proportional representation and power sharing among various constituencies, stating that concentrating power in the hands of the ruling party is part of the problems Nigeria faces today.
On his part, Bugaje described Nigeria’s political parties as “empty entities” lacking ideological direction, which makes it easy for politicians to defect frequently.
He questioned the difference between parties, asking, “What makes people move from APC to PDP, or from PDP to APC? It is because they are all empty. What really differentiates them?”
Bugaje emphasised that Nigeria’s leadership recruitment crisis stemmed from the absence of ideological direction in political parties.
Both Falana and Bugaje stressed the importance of establishing an ideological base for political parties to tackle issues like corruption, impunity, and recklessness.
Without this foundation, they argued, Nigeria’s growth and development will continue to be stifled.
Their criticism highlighted the need for a more structured and principled political system in Nigeria, where parties were driven by ideologies rather than personal interests.
This, they believe, could help address the country’s developmental challenges and promote more inclusive governance.
