Political Party Defection in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: An Analysis of Normative and Political Implications

Abstract

This study examined the normative and political implications of party defection in Nigeria’s
fourth republic. Party defection is increasingly becoming a characteristic of party politics in
Nigeria, which comes with several costs to party institutionalization and democratic governance.
A qualitative case study design was employed. Three political parties were used: the All
Progressives Congress (APC), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP). However, references were made to other political parties. Key
Informant Interviews were conducted with politicians, party leaders, academicians, and heads of
civil society organisations to elicit relevant information. They are the National Publicity
Secretaries of the three parties, Party National Directors, members of the National Assembly.
Others were Director Generals, one each from the Electoral Institute of Nigeria and Centre for
Democracy and Development (CDD); respondents from United Nations Development and
National Institute for Legislative Studies. Secondary data were sourced from the national
constitution, party constitutions, party guidelines, and media reports. Content analytical approach
was employed in the analysis of data generated for the study. Rational choice theory guided the
study. Findings revealed that party defection, normatively, portrays the whimsy transfer of a
mandate from one party platform to another. Politically, opposition parties are increasingly
weakened as a result of the high rate of party defections. It has further blurred policy distinctions.
The study concludes that, together, these implications have led to party weakness. The study
recommends the creation of a specialized agency to deal with party matters, and enhanced party
discipline