Defection Wave to APC ‘Embarrassing’ and a Threat to Nigeria’s Democracy – Women in Politics Forum

A prominent voice in Nigeria’s political space, Ebere Ifendu, has warned that the steady flow of governors decamping to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is placing the nation’s democracy on dangerous ground.

The President of the Women in Politics Forum made the remark during an interview on Arise Television, where she described the ongoing defections as “very embarrassing” and deeply troubling for the country’s political stability.

Her concerns follow a series of high-profile defections involving the governors of Enugu, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom, all of whom have abandoned their parties to join the APC.

Ifendu questioned the ideological foundation of Nigerian political parties, saying the ease with which leaders switch platforms suggests a lack of core values among political organisations.

“Political parties are supposed to be built on ideology,” she said. “When you see people jumping from one party to another, you begin to wonder if ideology even exists. Nigerians vote based on what a party claims to represent, yet the people elected on those platforms simply walk away.”

She warned that such political behaviour undermines trust in elected leaders and risks steering the country towards a one-party system.

“A candidate carries the mandate of the party, not a personal mandate,” she stressed. “When you get elected on a party’s platform and then abandon it, what does that say about our democracy? Without opposition, democracy cannot survive.”

Ifendu urged political actors to respect party structures and the voters who elected them, insisting that Nigeria’s democratic values must not be sacrificed for convenience or political advantage.