KAYODE AWOJOBI argues the need to revisit the Constitution to address the menace
From time immemorial, politics across the world has been characterized by shifting loyalties and ideological migrations. However, the frequency and brazenness with which political actors defect from one party to another have raised deep concerns about the sanctity of democratic values. Political defections are not peculiar to Africa; the phenomenon cuts across the global political sphere. In the United Kingdom, members of Parliament have crossed party lines over policy disagreements. In the United States, notable figures such as Senator Jim Jeffords once defected from the Republican Party to become an Independent. However, unlike in Nigeria, such defections in advanced democracies are often rooted in ideological convictions rather than personal ambitions or political survival.
In Nigeria, the story is disturbingly different. Defection has become a political culture, a normal tool for self-preservation rather than service. Political office holders, both in the executive and legislative arms of government, switch allegiance at the slightest sign of uncertainty, intimidation from godfathers, or the lure of greener political pastures. It is not uncommon to see politicians who rode to power on the wings of one party’s ideology suddenly renounce it once they assume office. A vivid example is the 2014 mass defection of five governors from the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that dramatically shifted the balance of power ahead of the 2015 general elections. Similarly, in recent years, several lawmakers have abandoned their political parties midway through their tenure, citing internal crises that often mask personal ambitions.