Nigeria's political atmosphere is charged with the gale of defections by politicians. The defections are both at the state and national levels and cut across the entire country. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has been the major beneficiary. The ruling party is steadily receiving members from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party.
While realignment like this is not strange, last week's defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to the APC came as a rude shock, as not many people saw it coming. Sheriff's exit from the PDP was like a whirlwind. He did not move alone but with his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in the state.
The defection of Oborevwori, a sitting governor, and Okowa, who was the vice-presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election, may not be the last surprise awaiting Nigerians and the PDP, as some governors may also be on their way out of the troubled umbrella party. The recent open declaration by Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, in support of President Bola Tinubu's second-term ambition gives a clearer picture of another possibility of a major defection.
These defections are quite worrisome and a threat to the nation's democracy. It is not a lie or false alarm to say that it is a recipe for the emergence of a one-party state. It is a truism that if the trend continues, we may find ourselves on that undemocratic path. The irreparable damage that will do to our democracy cannot be imagined.
The presidency, which has benefited from the defections, has stoutly defended it. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Sunday, described the fears and concerns raised as "alarming claims of disgruntled opposition figures, some partisan human rights crusaders, and emergency defenders of democracy."
Contrary to the defense of the presidency, it is an open secret that the movement of politicians from other parties to the APC is not only a personal decision but a forced one. Anti-graft agencies are being used to allegedly blackmail some of the defectors, particularly those with pending corrupt cases before the courts. While others are being sponsored to deliberately weaken their parties by causing confusion using various crude tactics and means.
Also, the case of Rivers State comes to mind. The rumors of asking Governor Siminalayi Fubara to join the APC before his suspension will be lifted, if true, could be the height of the grand plan to secure 2027 with ease. The targets apparently are states in the South-South, and this cannot be anything far from the resources at the disposal of the governors of the region.
These obvious state-sponsored efforts are a strategy to completely dismantle, deplete, and make worthless opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, and those behind it are succeeding every day. They have infiltrated the opposition so much that they do not realize that implosion is staring them in the face.
While the architects are working to end the multiparty democracy that we enjoy with various choices, the opposition parties are not doing enough to rescue the situation. The PDP, for instance, has been a shadow of itself. It has not been able to put its house together after the 2015 presidential election, which it lost to the APC. The crisis rocking the party has even worsened the situation.
As it stands, only a miracle can save them from their current predicament. The formation of a coalition by some strange bedfellows may not be the answer to the country's drift to a one-party state and authoritarianism. Opposition parties should resolve their internal conflicts and restore confidence back to their respective parties. That will reduce the rate of political shifts and throw up a healthy space for the next election to thrive.
Ultimately, Nigerians must rise up against moves to undermine democracy by "cash and carry" politicians, on the one hand, and those who have fallen victim to the coercive force of some political gladiators. Every effort is needed to preserve this democracy we have and make it even stronger with multiple parties in existence.
