One of my uncles, in his lifetime, was a witty man. He had a way of knocking people without being confrontational. For instance, if he wanted to say someone was a thief, he would rather say the man could pick up money dropped in a shrine. If he meant to describe a promiscuous man or woman, he would instead say that person could sleep with a dog.
Another of his sayings that I remember vividly, even many years after his death, is what he used to say about liars. My uncle would often remark that if such a fellow greeted you “good morning”, you should step outside to confirm that it is not yet night.
This particular saying often comes to mind whenever I listen to many Nigerian politicians speak. When they are at their best, you believe them at your own peril, because even they themselves are rarely convinced about what they are saying.
Take, for instance, the current season of defections. It is that familiar period when politicians abandon opposition parties to join the ruling party or other political formations. This is the time when the same individuals who once described other parties and their members in unprintable terms suddenly claim to have “seen the light” and now profess new loyalties.
Defections are not new. They have become almost a routine in Nigeria’s political landscape, especially in the build-up to general elections. However, they appear to have escalated in recent years.
From the North to the South, there are countless examples of prominent politicians dumping their parties in search of greener pastures. This year alone, they have been falling over one another as though defection were about to go out of fashion. The wind of defection has been blowing across legislative chambers and government houses alike. It often starts with the formation of “coalitions” — another recurring ritual whenever elections approach and there is a growing desire to unseat the incumbent. But what does this trend mean for Nigeria’s democracy?
Regardless of what politicians may claim, this trend is rarely about the people. Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, for instance, could argue that he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress to protect his state from sinking with what he described as the PDP’s “terminal decline”. If you believe him, you do so at your own risk.
Let no one deceive you — one of the major reasons behind this wave of defections is political survival and personal ambition. It has little or nothing to do with the people. Nigerian politicians are perpetually in election mode. No sooner do they win or force their way through one election than they begin preparing for the next. They will stop at nothing to achieve their aims, including turning around to praise the same people they once called devils, now describing them as next to God.
Another driving force behind this frenzy is the pursuit of power, access to resources, and political patronage. A typical public officeholder in Nigeria wields enormous power. From their long convoys to their retinue of aides, they are often the embodiment of “constituted authority”, as the late former Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, once declared. With the vast resources at their disposal, political patronage flows freely. Why, then, would any rational politician allow all of that to slip away simply because of loyalty to a political party?
Nigeria must redefine its democracy to reflect realities — 82-yr-old author, Olafusi
We cannot also ignore the influence of political godfathers and strategic alliances. Often, when a godfather defects, his followers join him blindly.
The pride of defection, for many, lies in mounting the podium to boast about bringing one million followers into the new party. In reality, these exaggerated figures rarely translate into actual votes, but no one bothers to verify.
Weak internal democracy within opposition parties also fuels this exodus. No one wants to remain in an uncertain environment where the rules are unclear and outcomes are manipulated.
This trend, of course, has serious implications for democracy. It weakens the opposition. Political parties that should serve as checks on the ruling government lose key members and credibility. Those who defect quickly become government mouthpieces, justifying the very actions they once condemned.
Unchecked defections also breed voter cynicism. Citizens begin to see politics as purely transactional, eroding trust in the system and turning votes into commodities for the highest bidder. Defections further lead to policy inconsistency; frequent political shifts disrupt continuity in governance. A governor who crosses from one party to another is often expected to realign his administration’s priorities to reflect his new party’s agenda — assuming that party even has one.
Ultimately, there is the danger of a drift toward a one-party state as political alternatives are stifled and power becomes concentrated in a few hands. Such a situation erodes pluralism and undermines democratic competition.
To address this situation, internal democracy within parties — especially opposition parties — must be strengthened. Ideological alignment should be encouraged over opportunistic politics. It would also not be out of place to implement existing laws that regulate frequent defections. Civic education should be deepened to make politicians accountable to voters rather than party elites.
These unchecked defections are symptoms of deeper structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s political system. The role of opposition in a democracy cannot be overemphasised. The health of any democracy depends on a vibrant opposition, ideological clarity, and principled politics.
Until Nigerian politics begins to prize ideas over opportunism, defections will remain a recurring headache for our democracy. Clearly, this is not the way to go.
Olalekan Adetayo @ThePUNCH
