Defection of opposition leaders threat to democracy – PDP chieftain

A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Aminu Yakudima, has said the defection of opposition leaders and members to the ruling party after every general election is a threat to the country’s democracy.

Yakudima, in a telephone interview with Daily Trust yesterday, said the trend must be stopped, explaining that it weakens opposition and encourages bad governance.

Daily Trust reported how the defection of opposition leaders and members to the ruling party after elections has gained traction in Nigeria over the years due to various interests.

Recall that many opposition leaders, including serving senators, former governorship candidates, senatorial candidates, former chairmen of opposition parties, former governors, and others, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the 2023 general elections. The same happened in 2019 and 2015.

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But Yakudima, who is also a political analyst, said, “It is not a healthy development for democracy at all. Opposition is very fundamental because that is what gives democracy its vibrancy, and there is no good governance without opposition.

“This is because you have to deploy the rudiments of checks and balances and try to scrutinise policies as they are being promulgated before they are implemented so that you can study and then give some input.

“Trying to keep the government on its toes and trying to make sure that the government is doing the right thing is what is called opposition. But if people continue to defect, to go in tandem with the will of the people in power, it means the opposition will die a natural death.

“And if that happens, it is going to be bad governance at the end of the day, and then all that we dislike and impunity will continue to fester, and the citizens will be at the receiving end. And it is not palatable at all for the country.”