By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – The Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED) has warned that Nigeria’s democracy is facing a grave threat as the growing wave of defections by state governors from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) risks entrenching a de facto one-party system and eroding the electoral mandates freely given by voters.
In a statement signed by Ibrahim Mualeem Zikirullahi, Executive Director of CHRICED, the organisation said the pattern of defections sweeping across several states is not driven by ideology or policy alignment but by political survival, patronage, and the quest for protection as the country moves toward the 2027 general election.
CHRICED said Nigeria is at a crossroads, arguing that what appears to be routine political realignment is, in reality, a systematic hollowing out of opposition politics that undermines democratic accountability and weakens institutional checks on executive power.
“The gale of defections from opposition parties to the ruling party is not merely political manoeuvring, it is the slow but steady march toward a one-party state, a civilian dictatorship cloaked in democratic garb,” the organisation said.
The group expressed concern that governors elected on opposition platforms in long-standing party strongholds are abandoning the mandates given to them by voters, warning that such actions amount to a betrayal of democratic choice and a distortion of the electoral process.
“Defections are not about competence, good policies, or citizen welfare. They are about personal aggrandizement, survival, and greed,” the statement added.
Drawing on international examples, CHRICED said Nigeria risks repeating the mistakes of countries where prolonged one-party dominance led to economic collapse, repression, and mass suffering. It cited Zimbabwe, Russia, Cameroon, and Kenya as cautionary tales where defections, patronage, and institutional decay paved the way for authoritarian rule.
According to the organisation, Nigeria’s current trajectory shows worrying similarities, particularly in the conduct of key democratic institutions.
CHRICED accused the National Assembly of failing in its oversight role, describing it as increasingly unwilling to challenge executive excesses or interrogate the constitutional implications of mass defections.
“When opposition is silenced, when the legislature becomes a rubber stamp, and when the judiciary seals corruption, dictatorship does not arrive with guns, it arrives with applause,” the statement said.
CHRICED also raised concerns about the role of the judiciary, arguing that court decisions which treat party affiliation as a purely personal matter ignore the fact that elected officials derive their legitimacy from the political platforms on which they were voted into office.
The organisation warned that the democratic erosion driven by defections carries severe human consequences, including deepening poverty, worsening insecurity, declining public services, and growing political apathy, especially among young Nigerians.
“Nigeria’s democracy will not collapse overnight, it will wither silently if defections and arrogance go unchallenged,” CHRICED said.
The group cautioned that if the trend continues unchecked, elections risk becoming mere formalities, with political outcomes effectively determined long before ballots are cast.
“The gale of defections is not a harmless political game, it is the erosion of accountability, the silencing of dissent, and the betrayal of the people’s mandate,” the statement added.
Calling for urgent action, CHRICED urged civil society groups, the media, opposition parties, and citizens to resist what it described as the normalisation of defections as a political strategy. It also called on democratic institutions to reclaim their constitutional roles and protect Nigeria’s multiparty system.
“Nigeria stands at a crossroads. Greed and arrogance for power must not be allowed to destroy the nation,” the organisation warned, stressing that the future of the country depends on defending democratic choice and meaningful political competition.
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