By Peter Omopo
September 11, 2025 — Former Akwa Ibom State governor, Victor Attah, has strongly criticised the rising wave of political defections in Nigeria, describing the trend as an “abomination” that threatens the stability of the country’s democracy.
Speaking on The Morning Show on Arise Television on Thursday, Attah, who governed the state from 1999 to 2007, warned that incessant cross-carpeting between political parties undermines governance and policymaking.
“If we have an unstable party situation in Nigeria, we will have an unstable policy, and we will end up with an unstable nation,” Attah cautioned.
He argued that defections have weakened Nigeria’s democratic development, tracing the root of the practice to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he said “set the trend in motion.”
Defections have long been a defining feature of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic politics, particularly during election seasons, as politicians switch between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition PDP, often in pursuit of political advantage.
Although Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution stipulates that legislators who defect from the parties that elected them should lose their seats, inconsistent enforcement and court rulings have allowed many defectors to remain in office.
Attah’s remarks come amid renewed debates over the impact of defections on party discipline and democratic consolidation. In recent years, several governors, lawmakers, and top political figures have changed parties, reshaping political alignments at both state and national levels.
The former governor’s comments add to growing calls for constitutional and electoral reforms aimed at curbing the practice and strengthening party ideology in Nigeria’s political system.
