Femi Falana, fiery human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has ignited a storm by accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of behaving like “terrorist organisations in disguise.” He declared that their conduct in governance, electioneering, and internal structures raises fundamental questions about whether they are truly democratic institutions or dangerous power cartels.
Femi Falana warned that both parties have consistently promoted violence during elections, manipulated the judiciary, and allowed impunity to thrive, thereby creating a climate that mirrors the modus operandi of terrorist organisations. According to him, when political parties survive on intimidation, thuggery, and corruption, they no longer qualify as democratic institutions but as threats to national stability.
The Constitution Versus Party Conduct
Femi Falana argued that Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution clearly defines political parties as vehicles of democracy, but APC and PDP have repeatedly betrayed this purpose. He noted that the constitution obliges them to uphold internal democracy, transparency, and accountability — obligations that are grossly undermined by their endless factional crises and transactional politics.
Femi Falana stressed that any party which substitutes internal democracy with imposition of candidates, monetisation of primaries, and violent suppression of dissenting members acts in contempt of the nation’s supreme law. He contended that Nigeria cannot build a viable democracy on political parties that operate like syndicates, unanswerable to both citizens and institutions.
Electoral Violence and the Seeds of Terror
Femi Falana described electoral violence as the single most damning evidence linking APC and PDP to terrorist tendencies. He lamented how thugs, sponsored by political actors, unleash mayhem during elections, killing citizens and destroying properties, yet are rewarded with political appointments and protection from prosecution.
Femi Falana reminded Nigerians that true democracy thrives when votes count and citizens can freely express their choices without fear of bullets or machetes. He argued that when violence becomes an electoral strategy, political parties degenerate into armed movements rather than platforms of democratic representation.
The Judiciary as a Shield of Political Criminality
Femi Falana accused both parties of corrupting Nigeria’s judiciary to shield their members from accountability. He cited cases where individuals indicted for looting public funds or orchestrating electoral violence were either acquitted on technical grounds or never prosecuted due to political cover.
Femi Falana explained that terrorist organisations often rely on compromised institutions to escape punishment, and Nigeria’s judiciary has unfortunately been weaponised by politicians for similar ends. He challenged the courts to prove their independence by refusing to be co-opted into legitimising political banditry disguised as governance.
Nigerians Caught in the Crossfire
Femi Falana insisted that ordinary Nigerians are the ultimate victims of APC and PDP’s alleged terrorist-like behavior. He emphasised that decades of misrule, reckless looting, and betrayal of the people’s mandate have condemned millions to poverty, insecurity, and hopelessness.
Femi Falana lamented that instead of competing on the basis of policies and development plans, both parties engage in a reckless power struggle where citizens are pawns in a deadly political chess game. He asserted that such a system mirrors the operations of terror cells that prey on the vulnerable for their own survival.
The Call for National Political Overhaul
Femi Falana urged Nigerians to rise beyond the dominance of APC and PDP by demanding the registration, recognition, and support of genuine alternative political parties rooted in ideology and people-centered governance. He maintained that Nigeria’s democracy cannot flourish when power is monopolised by two parties that operate like hostile cartels.
Femi Falana concluded by daring APC and PDP to “prove to Nigerians and the world that they are not terrorist organisations” by reforming their structures, renouncing electoral violence, submitting themselves to internal democracy, and committing to transparent governance. Until then, he warned, their legitimacy remains under grave suspicion.
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