If there is anything that indicates the death of opposition politics in Nigeria, is the gale of defections rocking the country’s political landscape. Recently, many politicians have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The defectors included Governor, Sherrif Overevwori of Delta state, the former vice presidential running mate, senator Ifeanyi Okowa and the entire structure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta state.
Prior to this development, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom state said that five PDP governors have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the second time. With this statement and his body language, Governor Eno will soon ditch his party and join the ruling APC. Since the gale of defections rocking the opposition, particularly the PDP which was in power for 16 years before it was ousted in 2015, some political analysts and Nigerians are of the opinion that the country is poised for a one party state.
Though, the presidency has denied the insinuation and ruled out any possibility of Nigeria drifting to a one party state, it is alarming and disturbing that the opposition parties have been severely fractured and are in disarray. Opposition parties play crucial roles in the development of democracy. They serve as a watchdog to check the excesses of government. Besides, opposition parties also serve as an alternative to the ruling party. if the ruling party performs below expectations, the electorate have an option to vote for other political parties.
However, in Nigeria, politicians see political parties as vehicles to ascend to power. Even in power, these politicians view politics as a gravy train for wealth accumulation, rather than an avenue for service delivery. This is in sharp contrast to developed democracies where political parties and politicians are ideological based. It is rare to see politicians rampantly moving in droves from one political party to the other. But defections in Nigeria do not attract any sanctions despite the fact that political parties’ constitutions stipulate penalties including the defector’s loss of power.
Little wonder, they keep changing political parties like clothes in a wardrobe or cross-carpeting to different parties that suit their interest. To trust Nigeria’s politicians is at your own peril. Nigeria’s politicians do not have an iota of shame. They will blame and chide a political party and defect to it the next day. While in politics ,alignment and realignment of political forces are necessary, as the country inches to another circle of elections, defection is the last card these politicians can play to remain politically relevant.
While there are many reasons that lead to defection such as: personal interest, injustice, intimidation and internal crises, no political party is immune to crisis. That is why politicians who defect to new parties hardly stay long before they move to another.To minimise the high incidence of defections and stop the country from drifting to a one party state, there is the need for multi-faceted approach to address the root causes of defection.
First, we must ensure that party structures are democratic, inclusive, and transparent. Parties must hold regular congresses to allow members to participate in decision-making processes. Secondly, parties must ensure that nominations for elections are based on merit, rather than patronage or other primordial factors. Thirdly, parties must ensure transparent selection process for candidates and foster a strong sense of shared ideology and values among party members.
Lastly, parties must establish mechanism for addressing grievances and concern within the party and above all implement programmes that reward loyalty and dedication to the party.
Additionally, opposition parties should reorganise themselves and refine their operations. They should quickly adopt measures to forestall the defections sweeping across the country. There is no gain saying the fact that a one party state suppresses dissent, constrain civic space and promote dictatorship.
Nigeria’s democracy can only survive in a competitive environment where the electorate have wide options to choose from different political parties. Therefore, a drift to a one party state will not augur well for the growth and development of our over two decades old fledgling democracy.