Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has condemned what he calls the “financial barriers” built into Nigeria’s political system, arguing that the cost of running for president effectively excludes the vast majority of citizens.

Falana, speaking during a recent public discussion on electoral reforms which started trending on Thursday, questioned the fairness of political requirements that demand enormous financial capacity from aspirants. He warned that such barriers undermine the principle of equal political participation.

According to him, the financial realities of contesting elections in Nigeria favour only the wealthy while shutting out professionals, workers, and young people.

“All the young people are talking about, many people, is about electronic transmission of results from the polling unit to the, you know, non-localisation centre to the central server of INEC. It’s gone beyond that.

“If you look at that law, it’s saying if you want to contest for the Presidency of Nigeria, you must have 10 billion naira or I think 5 billion naira. That already excludes professors, workers, lawyers and the majority of Nigerians who are not billionaires.

Falana argued that Nigerian laws are often shaped by the interests of political elites rather than the public.

“So the law is not neutral. It’s made by people in the National Assembly, who though are representing us, but who at the end of the day are representing the bourgeoisie. So, that is the nature of law. So, when you say rule of law, you say whose law? Whose rule? So, hence we go to court to defend just law.

“There are laws that, through struggle, members of the ruling class have been forced to enact. We go to court to defend those ones. And then for the bad ones, obnoxious laws, we challenge them in court and in our campaign.

He stated that his advocacy for justice predates his legal career.

“So, I didn’t start defending the rule of law as a lawyer. I was classed, I was conscious of my role in the society, you know, and therefore I went to court, not for judgement, not just to ask for judgement in my cases. I want justice,” he added.

Falana’s remarks echo his long-standing criticism of Nigeria’s political financing structure. In 2022, he described the ₦100 million presidential nomination forms sold by major political parties as “immoral and unconstitutional,” arguing that such fees discriminated against ordinary Nigerians.

While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not responded to his latest remarks, Falana maintains that dismantling financial barriers is essential to strengthening democratic participation and restoring public trust in the electoral process. (The PUNCH)