Beware of anti-democratic forces, Falana warns Nigerians

A human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), said Nigerians should get ready to contend with a class of people he described as “political and economic predators,” who may be waiting to sabotage the nation’s democracy.

Falana warned Nigerians to be on the lookout for some anti-democracy forces, who may be working to ensure that the rescheduled March 28 and April 11 elections never held in order to pave the way for an interim government or to ensure that even if the polls held the results were rejected leading to widespread violence in the country.

The senior advocate sounded this note of warning in a paper titled,  “Beyond 2015 general elections: delivering election promises,” which he delivered on Saturday during the Social Weekend of  the Life Theological Seminary at the Seminary Campus , Ikorodu, Lagos State.

He said, “There is no indication that the election will hold. If the INEC goes ahead with the conduct of the elections there are fears that the exercise may be sabotaged by anti-democratic forces. If the election holds the results may be rejected leading to a post-election violence which may threaten the corporate existence of the nation.

“In the circumstance, an interim government may be established and be saddled with the task of preparing the country for another political transition. In the alternative, a coup de tat may be staged by the top echelon of the armed forces under the pretext of restoring law and order and fighting the menace of insurgency. The military wing of the ruling parties succeeded in Mali and Burkina Faso. But having fractionalised the country along ethnic and religious lines the masterminds of the political crisis are not likely to profit from the perfidy. Therefore, the Nigerian people should be prepared for a long drawn out battle for the liberation of the country from political and economic predators.”

Falana also charged Nigerians to prepare to demand from whoever wins the forthcoming election, a redistribution of the nation’s wealth in such a manner that would alleviate the current misery of the Nigerian populace.

He said, “It is undoubtedly clear that the neo-colonial capitalist economy has continued to increase the misery and frustration in the land. But while harsh economic conditions are imposed on the people, the unjust socio-economic system has set aside loans and waivers that run into several trillions of naira for members of the ruling class. Since the government is required by the Constitution to control and manage the economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare and happiness of all citizens the Nigerian people should get organized and demand  the redistribution of the commonwealth from the political party that wins the forthcoming election.”