Guest Writer
Since Nigeria’s current democratic dispensation began in 1999, the political landscape has witnessed significant developments and ongoing changes.
One notable trend, albeit uninspiring, is the frequent defection of politicians from one party to another.
Politics has become a transactional enterprise,with a series of deals, compromises and no commitment to core values.
While personal gain and self interest are the drivers of political decisions, ideological politics has since taken a back seat.
With high profile defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress, some Nigerians have raised fears over the prospects of a drift toward one party State.
The PDP, once the dominant party in Nigeria and whose leaders boasted that the party would rule for at least 60 years, has been hit by a wave of defections
There is no blinking the fact that today, PDP is highly troubled, depleted, weak and is not expected to put up a good fight in 2027 presidential contest.
Hit by internal feud, betrayal and defections, the party looks unprepared for any contest.
Recently, Dr Okowa former Governor of Delta State, his successor, Oborevwori and entire members of Delta House of Assembly defected to APC.
Accordingly, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has also crossed the carpet to APC.
Over the years, some prominent politicians have been moving back and forth to gratify personal interests.
Atiku Abubakar has moved from PDP to APC and then back to PDP again.
Many other politicians,like Senator Neda Imasuen, elected on Labour Party platform, have defected to APC. As the nation moves towards 2027, there are strong indications that many more would defect.
What does this game speak to?
For some politicians, politics is indeed a transactional game, where allegiance is bought and sold to the highest bidder or to further personal interests.
Defectors often prioritize personal gain over ideology, principle, or party loyalty, making them more likely to defect when it suits their interests. This transactional approach can undermine the integrity of the political system and erode trust in institutions.
To deepen Nigerian democracy, there must be a commitment to ideological and issues— driven politics, which is presently not the case. We must rise above the lure of self interest to embrace what uplifts public good.
There is no doubt that when politicians prioritize personal interests over public welfare, it can lead to corruption, inefficiency, and poor governance.
The focus shifts from serving the people to serving oneself, which can have far-reaching consequences for the country’s development and citizens’ well-being such as what Nigeria is experiencing today.
Deep seated political disagreements, personal ambitions, intense power struggles, and the lure of inducements have all combined to drive defections.
This scenario has significantly impacted negatively on democratic growth, credible opposition and causing party instability as politicians frequently switch allegiances, thereby blurring ideological lines .
Though there are pretensions by political parties struggling to maintain distinct identities, the fact is that they are all the same. The absence of ideological identity makes parties to revolve round individuals, rather than a set of principles.
In Nigeria, there’s what is called “ stomach infrastructure” It is the drive for personal gain through the instrumentality of politics.
For those in this game, politics is business as it is the only means of economic survival.
Some politicians find it uncomfortable to remain in opposition parties. When their party is not the one in power, the next thing is to move. This is the trend all over the Country.
However, it must be acknowledged that the coalition of forces made it possible for Jonathan to be defeated in 2915, despite the power of incumbency. This is something rare in Africa. If the principal actors that joined forces to battle Jonathan had defected to PDP— because it was the party in power, what happened in 2015 would never have been possible.
The ongoing coalition talks by some opposition elements is good news. But observers believe that good results are hardly achieved when the instigators of a crisis and those who contributed to it trade blames.
Some of those in the coalition talks are PDP members, who seek to forge alliances under a new name to battle APC in 2027.
Nigeria can’t afford to remain under the umbrella of one- party state and a very weak opposition as we have now. But in a situation where some politicians are engulfed by tension between party loyalty and personal interests, the emergence of credible opposition is difficult.
In all, what is indisputable is that frequent defections can erode trust in the political system, undermine party structures, and create an environment in which politicians prioritize personal gain over the public good.
Ultimately, defections shape the country’s governance, influencing electoral outcomes and policy directions in many ways. For example, the party in power to which many are defecting, may feel emboldened to continue in its unproductive
For a cohesive and responsive political system and building ideological politics, that truly serve the needs of the Nigerian people, Nigerians must examine the consequences of defections and appreciate the fact that it is a selfish game of prioritizing personal interests over public well-being.
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