“Defections Without Direction: Why Hunger & Poverty Refuse To Cross Carpets”
By TIMOTHY HAGGERTY-NWOKOLO
ACROSS Nigeria’s political landscape, a familiar storm is raging again — the gale of defections. Governors and political heavyweights are leaping from one party to another, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerging as the new sanctuary for many. Their reasons, as always, are cloaked in lofty rhetoric: “national interest,” “unity,” “support for the President.” Yet behind the slogans lies a sobering truth — while the politicians are defecting, hunger, poverty, and unemployment have not followed them.
For the ordinary Nigerian, these political maneuvers bring no relief. In many states, the same faces rotate power like a game of musical chairs, while living conditions grow harsher. The people are left wondering: what exactly are these leaders defecting from — or to?
Politics of Self-Preservation
Recent defections, especially among governors and legislators, have exposed how shallow political ideology has become in Nigeria. The crossovers are less about principle and more about survival and access to the federal purse. Some of the defectors have openly declared their admiration for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu — not because of shared governance values, but as an act of political “solidarity” to stay in the centre of power.
But for many Nigerians, this solidarity feels like betrayal. Instead of using their mandates to fight for their states, these leaders appear to be fighting for proximity to the presidency. Political convenience has replaced public service.
Rising Revenues, Deepening Misery
Ironically, this new wave of defections comes at a time when states are earning record revenues from the withdrawal of fuel subsidies. Billions have poured into state coffers. Yet, instead of seeing new infrastructure, jobs, or social relief, citizens are witnessing the opposite — empty markets, rising food prices, and classrooms without teachers.
The fuel subsidy removal, which was supposed to free up resources for development, has instead widened inequality. Many governors who promised palliatives have quietly shelved or politicized them. As inflation climbs and purchasing power collapses, the sense of betrayal deepens.
Political analyst Ibrahim Dantata describes the situation bluntly:
“We are watching governors cross over to the ruling party while their people are crossing into hunger. This is not politics; it is self-preservation masquerading as loyalty.”
When Justice Is Betrayed
The public mood has been further soured by the federal government’s controversial presidential pardons for individuals convicted of serious crimes. In a nation battling insecurity, kidnapping, and corruption, such gestures send the wrong message. For citizens struggling to obey the law, it feels like a double standard — the powerful get second chances, while the powerless get forgotten.
This moral contradiction has emboldened criminal elements. From banditry in the North to kidnapping in the South, insecurity has become a cruel tax on the poor. Every farmer forced off his land, every child afraid to go to school, is paying the price of political negligence.
Citizens at the Crossroads
Nigeria’s democracy was never meant to be a spectator sport. Yet many citizens have retreated into silence — numbed by hardship or disillusioned by deceit. But silence, as the saying goes, is complicity. The country’s future will not change until the people reclaim their voice.
This is not merely the work of activists or opposition politicians. It is the duty of every Nigerian citizen — to question, to participate, to monitor, and to vote with conscience. Local councils, budget hearings, and town hall meetings must once again become platforms for accountability, not propaganda.
“Equity aids the vigilant, not the indolent,” as the old saying goes. The people must demand better: jobs that dignify, policies that protect, and leaders who serve rather than rule.
2027: The Day of Reckoning
As the 2027 elections draw closer, defectors may soon discover that political migration offers no guarantee of safety. The electorate — weary, hungry, but increasingly aware — is beginning to see through the theatrics.
Voters are asking sharper questions: What have you built? What have you reformed? How have you improved lives?
Those who have traded their oaths of office for political expediency may find that no party logo can shield them from public judgment.
The winds of defection may blow again and again, but Nigeria’s poor will not defect from hunger. Until governance is restored to its true purpose — service to the people — the nation will continue to drift between political camps while standing still in progress.
