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With the current gale of defections from the opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the drift to a one-party state is possible in Nigeria. Though it is not the first time politicians would defect in the country, the current one appears to be the worst. Recently, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost key members to the APC. They include Governors Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Peter Mbah of Enugu State, and Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State. Others may soon follow.
In November 2013, five governors also defected from the PDP to the APC. The PDP, which was then the ruling party, lost the 2015 general election to the APC partly on account of this phenomenon. Key politicians like the former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, have switched parties many times in search of political relevance. Internal crisis or intra-party wrangling is supposed to be the major condition for leaving a political party for another. But the current wave of defections has little to do with crisis, but more with selfish interests and political survival. It is common knowledge that most Nigerian politicians have no ideology and principles.
The major reason Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, gave for dumping the PDP in April this year with their supporters and the PDP structure in Delta State for the APC was to connect with the Federal Government. “That goodwill that is in Abuja, that resource that is in Abuja, of which Delta State is a large contributor – there was a need to connect to it,” Okowa, said. In June 2025, Governor Eno of Akwa Ibom State went biblical in his explanation for leaving the PDP for the APC. According to him, as children of Ichaka, they must be able to interpret and flow with the times and not run against the tide. He compelled his appointees to defect with him or resign.
Besides, a number of PDP senators defected to the APC in recent times with no cogent reason except political expediency. This has beefed up the number of senators belonging to the ruling party to 72 out of 109 seats. The PDP has only 28 seats; the Labour Party (LP), five seats; the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), two; while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) have one each. The House of Representatives recorded more defections to the APC. They include six PDP lawmakers from Delta State, six PDP lawmakers and one Young Progressives Party (YPP) lawmaker from Akwa Ibom State.
No doubt, democracy thrives well in a multi-party system. Without opposition, there is no cross-pollination of ideas. Thus, the current unbridled switching of parties may signal the collapse of the opposition and stifling of plurality of views. It is dangerous for our nascent democracy and not good for a federation. With an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly, the ruling party may resort to autocracy. Most times, voters elect candidates on the platform of a particular political party because they believe in the ideals or manifesto of such a party. Defection makes such a mandate and the will of the electorate meaningless. It not only casts blight on democratic institutions; it is also a betrayal of the party that sponsored the election of such a candidate.
In advanced democracies, politicians hardly defect without serious reasons. In the United States, the two major political parties – the Republican Party and the Democratic Party – have distinct ideologies. Their membership is anchored on these ideologies and hardly does any member of one party switch to another without cogent reasons. Most times, the reasons are tied to ideological or policy disagreements. For instance, in April 2023, four state lawmakers in West Virginia, Louisiana, and North Carolina switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. They cited irreconcilable ideological differences with fellow Democrats. The Louisiana Representative, Francis Thompson, said the Democratic Party embraced positions on certain issues that did not align with the values and principles that were part of his Christian life.
Defections are abused in Nigeria because there are no concrete consequences for taking such action unduly. Although Sections 68 and 109 of the 1999 Constitution require lawmakers to vacate their seats upon defection, there is no tangible punishment for executive defection. This needs to change. The National Assembly should use the opportunity of the ongoing constitution amendment to look into frivolous switching of parties by politicians and stipulate appropriate punishment for it. Political office-holders who defect without any serious reason should be made to lose their positions. Politicians must be principled and disciplined enough to respect the mandate of the people.
Political parties should help to curb the menace by inculcating and enforcing internal democracy. The political class must reject the creeping one-party state. Nigeria does not need it. It needs good governance and policies that will enhance socio-economic development. Therefore, the current wave of defections must be challenged and halted forthwith.
