Kwankwasiyya Raises Alarm Over Defections, Warns of One-Party Dominance Threat
The Kwankwasiyya Movement has expressed deep concern over what it described as the growing danger of one-party dominance in Nigeria, following the recent passage and accelerated presidential assent to controversial amendments to the Electoral Act.
In a press statement signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Habibu Sale Mohammed, the movement said the speed with which the amendments were passed and signed into law—despite widespread public protests, civil society advocacy, and expert warnings—“lays bare the dangers of unchecked dominance” by the ruling party.
The group specifically pointed to the increasing influence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across both the Executive and the National Assembly, attributing the development in part to the wave of defections by elected officials from opposition parties.
According to the statement, such defections raise moral and constitutional concerns, particularly when elected representatives abandon the political platforms on which they were voted into office without consulting their constituents or providing clear ideological justification.
“The mandate belongs to the electorate, not to the personal convenience of officeholders,” the movement stated, warning that unchecked defections weaken democratic representation and erode public trust.
Kwankwasiyya argued that Nigeria’s democratic framework was built on checks and balances, including a vibrant opposition and legislative independence. It warned that the steady weakening of opposition ranks in the National Assembly could reduce scrutiny of executive proposals, regardless of public sentiment.
The movement cited the controversy surrounding the amended Electoral Act as an example, noting that despite nationwide demonstrations and position papers from civil society organisations advocating stronger electoral safeguards, the ruling party ultimately secured its preferred legislative outcome.
It cautioned that democracy rarely collapses abruptly but often deteriorates gradually through normalized defections, shrinking institutional opposition, and the passage of laws perceived to be out of step with the popular will.
Reaffirming its commitment to political pluralism and ideological competition, the movement urged elected officials to prioritise loyalty to the Nigerian people and called on citizens to remain peaceful but vigilant in safeguarding democratic institutions.
“Nigeria’s democracy belongs to its people. It must not be weakened by convenience, nor compromised by concentration of power,” the statement concluded.
