Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has described ongoing amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act as a complete waste of time if they are not backed by strict enforcement.
Falana made the remarks on Sunday during an interview on Arise Television, where he argued that Nigeria’s electoral challenges are not caused by the absence of laws but by the failure of the political class to enforce existing ones.
According to him, Nigeria already has adequate legal provisions to address electoral malpractice, including vote buying, thuggery, and other election-related offences. However, successive governments have shown little or no political will to punish offenders, thereby encouraging what he described as an atmosphere of “reckless impunity.”
The senior lawyer lamented that ideology and quality of representation have become secondary in Nigerian politics, as politicians now focus mainly on personal gains from defections. He noted that elected officials frequently abandon the political parties that brought them to power, defect to new platforms, and face no sanctions. Falana warned that this growing trend poses a serious threat to the country’s democratic system.
He recalled that as far back as 2008, the Justice Mohammed Uwais-led Electoral Reform Committee recommended the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in electoral crimes. Falana expressed disappointment that no administration, including those that campaigned on electoral reforms, has implemented the recommendation.
Falana also criticised proposals to increase campaign spending limits, noting that political actors have consistently violated existing regulations without consequences.
He stressed that amending the Electoral Act without addressing enforcement gaps amounts to time wasting. According to him, the ongoing amendment process fails to tackle critical issues such as unchecked political defections, enforcement of campaign finance laws, and accountability for electoral offences.
Falana concluded that without genuine commitment to enforcement, electoral reforms will remain ineffective and Nigeria’s democratic process will continue to weaken.
