A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Ladan Salihu, has expressed strong concerns over the increasing trend of governors defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress, warning that such moves undermine the foundation of Nigeria’s democratic system.
Salihu made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme.
He was reacting to the recent defections involving some governors elected under the Peoples Democratic Party.
Recall that Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State formally joined the APC last week, while his Bayelsa counterpart, Douye Diri, is reportedly preparing to leave the PDP but is yet to publicly declare his next political affiliation.
Commenting on the development, Salihu stated, “I have always raised my voice on the issue of Nigeria gravitating towards a one-party state. Each passing day, my worries are validated by the kind of issues you see with respect to defections.”
He further warned that such political shifts weaken the country’s democratic structure. “When a governor defects from a party to a ruling party, each time such defections happen the arms of democracy are amputated; it should be a thing of concern to all of us,” he said.
