•Tinubu
Barrister Olalekan F. Ojo, a Lagos-based human rights lawyer, has expressed concern over the current wave of defections and endorsements of President Bola Tinubu by the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyalists and other political figures from minority quarters.
Speaking to our correspondent yesterday, he said the development reflects the fluid nature of Nigeria’s political culture and the strategic realignments typical of the nation’s democratic cycle, reports Sunday Independent.
Barrister Ojo, a strong advocate of social justice, is the Managing Partner, Platinum & Taylor Hill LP, a leading law firm in Nigeria, maintained that while such movements are not new, the scale and speed raise legitimate concerns about the erosion of a viable opposition and the risk of sliding into a de facto one-party state.
According to him, “A healthy democracy thrives on robust opposition, ideological diversity, and institutional checks and balances.
“The concentration of political power, especially when driven by patronage rather than shared policy vision, can weaken accountability, stifle dissent, and embolden executive overreach.
“However, defections alone do not signal a one-party state; it becomes dangerous when opposition voices are systematically silenced or co-opted.
“That said, the onus lies on opposition parties to reposition themselves ideologically, strengthen internal democracy, and connect meaningfully with the electorate.
“Democracy is not sustained by mere plurality of parties, but by the competitiveness and credibility of alternatives.
“Therefore, while the current trend is politically strategic for the ruling party, it is imperative for Nigeria’s democratic future that space remains for credible, organised, and principled opposition.
“Only then can we prevent the entrenchment of power and protect the democratic ideals enshrined in our constitution.”
Chief Emeka Charles Kalu, National Coordinator, Global Initiatives for Good Governance (GIGG), who also spoke to our correspondent, described the gale of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the regional endorsement of President Tinubu for a second term as an APC politically created ploys to win 2027 presidential election against the interest of Nigerians.
Dr Kalu stressed: “This is because we live in a country where the instrument of the state is used to hound and witch-hunt opposition, reading from the defection of the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential running mate, the Delta State governor and their loyalists to APC, all to shelter themselves against probe by the anti-graft agency.
“The opposition remains the beauty of democracy and it is impossible to turn Nigeria into a one-party State.
“For instance, in the Southeast, the APC has no stronghold because the APC ruling state in the region is known with various performance shortcomings, ranging from insecurity, low paid civil service, dilapidated infrastructures, etc.
“There is nothing to emulate from the party’s leadership in the Southeast, considering the people’s feelings in the hands of its government in the region.
“Meanwhile, under a strongly built third force coalition, the APC may find it uneasy to take the field day in the next election.
“I have continuously asked for a coalition of the opposition to be able to wrest power from the ruling party in 2027 since defection is fast taking the upper hands.
“The ongoing discussions among sister opposition parties, if properly handled, will send the ruling party out of Aso Rock as Nigerians are not comfortable with the unbearable hunger and unfriendly economic policies of the government.
“In 2015, such a coalition was formed and it widely won elections in various capacities and ousted PDP and took over the leadership of the national government.
“Therefore, it could be repeated ahead of 2027, if the sister opposition blocs can form a formidable force in conjunction with the PDP.
“With this, APC will be taken to the cleaners and by so doing have power taken out of her.
“Finally, I commend Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for his dauntless efforts and commitment to ensure a new Nigeria is achieved through building a water-tight coalition capable of wrestling power from the APC.
“In the last few days, the immediate-past governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who recently dumped APC for SDP, is also confidently working on achieving coalition with ADC and others aimed at popularly engaging the APC in 2027 general elections”.
