By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Falana, Bugaje Blame Nigeria’s Political Parties For Lack Of Progress
As Nigeria marked its 65th Independence anniversary on Wednesday, two prominent voices—human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), and former lawmaker, Usman Bugaje—took aim at the country’s political parties, describing them as the weakest link in the nation’s democratic journey.
Speaking on Channels Television’s special broadcast to commemorate the anniversary, both men lamented that six decades after colonial rule ended, the country’s political structures remain “empty, without ideology or direction.”
Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and long-standing activist, argued that the “winner-takes-all” mentality in Nigeria’s politics has entrenched corruption and weakened governance.
According to him, the current political class operates without any commitment to ideology, policy orientation, or national development.
“There is no way you can concentrate power in the hands of the ruling party,” he said. “The ruling party must share power with other constituencies. There must be proportional representation.
The winner-takes-all system is part of the problems we face currently. Without an ideological base or orientation for political parties, corruption will continue, impunity will continue, and recklessness will continue.”
Falana compared today’s political practice to the Second Republic (1979–1983), when alliances and power-sharing arrangements allowed broader participation and injected ideas into the system.
He lamented that the absence of such arrangements today has left citizens at the mercy of ruling elites.
Usman Bugaje, a former member of the House of Representatives and long-time political thinker, went further to argue that Nigeria’s entire leadership crisis stems from the emptiness of its parties.
“I have said it several times: the political parties we have today have neither content nor conscience,” he declared.
“They lack courage and they are not good for anything. 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 described Nigeria’s democracy as one where politicians treat parties merely as platforms for winning power rather than institutions built on principles or values. This, he noted, is why defections are common and policies inconsistent.
Since independence in 1960, political parties in Nigeria have often been formed around powerful individuals rather than binding ideologies.
The First Republic saw parties like the Action Group (AG), Northern People’s Congress (NPC), and National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), each with distinct regional bases and philosophical leanings.
But from the military coups of 1966 to the transition periods of the 1970s and 1990s, political parties gradually lost that ideological edge.
By the Fourth Republic, which began in 1999, Nigeria’s dominant parties—the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and others—were seen less as ideological movements and more as vehicles of power.
This, critics argue, explains why policies change drastically with new governments, why defections are rampant, and why issues like corruption, unemployment, and insecurity remain unsolved.
The interventions by Falana and Bugaje come at a time when Nigerians are reflecting on 65 years of independence.
While President Bola Tinubu in his national address promised “renewed hope” and reassured citizens that the worst days were behind them, scepticism remains widespread.
Across the country, many citizens argue that politics has failed to deliver basic governance.
Electricity shortages, unemployment, inflation, and insecurity continue to define daily life. Against this backdrop, the criticism of political parties as “empty vessels” resonates strongly.
Both Falana and Bugaje believe that true reform must begin with the political party system. For Falana, introducing proportional representation and enforcing internal democracy within parties would help broaden participation.
Bugaje insists that unless political parties are rebuilt around ideology, principle, and courage, Nigeria’s democracy will remain fragile and unproductive.
“Parties must stand for something,” Bugaje stressed. “Otherwise, they will continue to recycle the same set of leaders who have no vision for the country.”
As Nigeria stands at 65, the debate around ideology and political structure is not just academic—it cuts to the heart of governance and national development.
For many Nigerians, the real independence struggle is no longer about flags or sovereignty, but about building a political culture capable of delivering justice, equity, and prosperity.
Falana and Bugaje’s message was clear: without ideological clarity and genuine reform of political parties, Nigeria risks celebrating many more Independence anniversaries without tangible progress.
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