Defections: Are Nigerian politicians ideology-free or simply seeking relevance?

Nigeria has entered into yet another season of political party cross-carpeting and it gets as familiar as it can get. From states assemblies, to national assembly members and reputable politicians are switching parties with a bothering speed, most of them moving to the All Progressive Congress (APC). Although this defection isn’t a new practice in Nigeria politics, it raises an important question: Do Nigerian politicians stand for anything beyond political survival?

Democracies in other part of the world have political parties that are built on ideologies and clear visions that is peculiar to every party. For example, in the USA, the Republicans and Democrats have ideologies that the parties are built on that differentiate them. In the UK the Conservative and Labour parties also have clear and concise ideologies and principles hence there’s a minimalist defection.

In Nigeria however, ideologies barely play any role in the political alignment. The APC, PDP, Labour Party, and others lack a policy direction, approach or even a value system. As a result of this lack of political ideology, politicians often migrate to wherever the wind of advantage blows. The decision of defection is barely about joining a party that aligns with one’s values but about access to visibility, relevance and personal political security. According to political analyst Dr. Tunde Aderemi of the Centre for Democratic Studies “Political parties in Nigeria are not built on ideology but on personalities and power blocs. When the power structure shifts, loyalty follows”.

The way Nigerian politics is built, power is heavily centralised at the federal level hence making a closeness to the ruling party a critical factor for political relevance and having influence. Beyond having access to resources, internal party dynamics also play a vital role. Many defections we see today are caused by a number of unresolved internal crises, dominance of godfathers, candidate impositions. Politicians then see defections as an escape route and not betrayal. Another factor that promotes this trend is electoral calculations among politicians. With elections approaching, politicians assess their chances and it is known that being in the ruling party comes with access to campaign funding, media coverage among multiple advantages. For incumbents especially, defecting is an easier path to re-election rather than risking defeat under the weaker opposition party. A key reason behind the mass movement to APC is the reality of the power dynamics that exists in Nigeria as politicians often gravitate towards the party in control of the federal government, in order to get access to federal structures, political appointments, financial influence, and electoral advantage. It brings up the conclusion that defection is to maintain political relevance. There is an unspoken mindset in Nigeria that politics isn’t about loyalty but it’s about staying alive in the game. This mindset completely explains why defections is a common practice in Nigeria politics.

The occurring practice of defecting to the ruling APC has dealt with the Nigeria’s opposition parties, weakening them structurally. When influential politicians, governors, lawmakers abandon their parties, they leave behind a fractured party structure. These defections leave the opposition party with a lack of experienced leaders and financial capacity when major financiers defect from the party. Since APC got into power in 2015, there has been a decline in the number of states that are under PDP. Presently, APC controls 27 states with the rest controlled by PDP, LP and ACP.   Democracy can’t survive if only one party is strong. All the strong contenders cannot just be in one party and expect the pillars of democracy to thrive. Asides the disruption in the structure, the defections damage the party morale. The remaining members are thrown into a mode of suspicion as they spend more time managing suspicion with uncertainty of who is defecting next as trust erodes. Defection represents a deeper structural failure in Nigeria’s political system. A system where ideology is weak and constitutions are minimal or none political loyalty holds no value.

One of the strongest enablers of political defections in Nigeria is the absence of consequences. In a system where elected officials can abandon the party on which they were voted into office without sanctions, defection becomes not only acceptable but something that attracts party members. The culture of zero consequences has normalised it and resulting to weakness of the supposed democratic institutions.  Although the constitutions restrict legislators from cross-carpeting, certain loopholes such as claims of internal party division are often misused. Asides the legal loopholes, there is a lack of moral accountability. Politicians never consult with their constituencies before switching parties, even though their positions were secured under that platform and was supported by these same constituencies.

The presence of weak institutions also enforces this, the same bodies expected to enforce discipline in the political parties, the judiciary often lacks the will to enforce the laws and the parties are often scared to impose sanctions on the fear of losing members. The result of these actions is that politicians learn that loyalty has no reward and betrayal has no cost. The culture of zero consequences creates a situation where when high-profile politicians defect without consequences, hence, others are encouraged to follow.

To protect democratic integrity, Nigeria must consider reforms such as stricter conditions for politicians who defect, mandatory consultations with constituents before switching parties and educating voters to demand more accountability from politicians that they voted to office.

Oyindamola can be reached via [email protected]

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