By Nahum Sule, Jalingo
A visiting professor at Taraba State University, Prof. Jonah Onuoha of the Department of Political Science, UNN, has claimed that many politicians switching to the ruling party are motivated by fear of losing relevance or elections in 2027.
Speaking separately with our correspondent in Jalingo on Monday, the academics said the wave of defections shows that most Nigerian politicians lack ideology and are driven mainly by self-interest.
Prof. Jonah Onuoha of the Department of Political Science, UNN, noted that the mass defections were a survival tactic by politicians seeking protection and political advantage ahead of the next general elections.
“These defections are not about service or ideology but about survival,” Onuoha said. “Many of them believe joining the ruling party shields them from anti-corruption probes and guarantees political safety.”
Onuoha, who is also the Director of the Centre for American Studies at UNN, warned that the trend could weaken the opposition, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and threaten Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.
“There is an internal crisis in the PDP, but true party loyalists can resolve it before 2027. However, the ongoing defections—such as that of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and other PDP members to the APC—pose a serious setback to the opposition,” he stated.
He cautioned that unchecked defections could lead Nigeria toward a one-party system, which would be unhealthy for democracy.
Similarly, Dr. Chinedu Ejezie, another lecturer in the Department of Political Science, described the defections as unnecessary, arguing that good governance and electoral success do not depend on being in the ruling party.
Ejezie dismissed claims that governors must join the ruling party to “connect their states to the centre,” noting that all 36 states continue to receive their federal allocations regularly, with even higher disbursements following the removal of fuel subsidies.
“No state has been denied its monthly allocation because its governor belongs to an opposition party,” he said.
He cited examples of opposition governors—Alex Otti (Abia, Labour Party), Charles Soludo (Anambra, APGA), and Seyi Makinde (Oyo, PDP)—who are performing well without defecting to the ruling party.
“Some governors in the ruling party are not performing any better,” he added. “What matters is effective management of resources and responsible governance, not political alignment with the centre.”
