The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Senator Seriake Dickson have criticised the wave of defections by governors and lawmakers from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

Their reactions followed the recent defection of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah to the APC along with his cabinet members, and the resignation of Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri and 23 lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of their planned move to the ruling party.

Several senators and House of Representatives members have also recently dumped their parties — including the PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP — for the APC.

Speaking on the development yesterday, Peter Obi dismissed claims that such defections would guarantee APC’s political dominance in the South-East.

He said, “Peter Mbah is a good friend of mine. And I believe that as governor, he must have taken his decision based on his own political views and calculations.

“As for the alleged plot to capture the South-East, we are not in a military time when you capture people. You are a leader. You tend to do the right things for them to follow you. So I don’t think anybody is capturing anywhere. The government needs to do more if it wants the people to support it.”

Obi emphasised that in a democracy, “the people will ultimately decide where to go, not governors or senators.”

He also reiterated his long-held position on the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, saying, “There was no need for his arrest in the first place… I will consult, negotiate and discuss with anybody who is agitating. Let’s dialogue with them and follow the rules.”

Speaking on the newly nominated INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitana and his expectations from the new INEC chair, ahead of the 2027 election, Obi said: “Very simple. He’s a Nigerian. We want a new Nigeria where elections will be free, fair and credible and our people who have the competence, capacity, compassion, character and commitment to lead the nation are elected.

“It’s for the good of everybody. None of us is going to be here forever, and none of us is going to be in his position forever. So whatever position we find ourselves in, it’s to do the right thing. So I wish him well.

“When he (Amupitan) is confirmed, I will congratulate him and tell him to know that one day, he’s going to leave that post. Let him ensure that he keeps his reputation.”

The Labour Party candidate spoke during a campaign stop in Abuja alongside Dr. Moses Paul, the ADC chairmanship candidate for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). Obi visited LEA Primary School, Kapwa, where he decried the poor state of facilities, promising to help rehabilitate the school.

“The most important thing we can do as a nation is to invest in basic education,” he said.

In a separate statement, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused President Bola Tinubu of plotting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state through a wave of defections engineered to weaken the opposition.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the defections as “a betrayal of the people and a dangerous sign for Nigeria’s democracy.”

“The recent defections by the governors of Enugu and Bayelsa states validate ADC’s long-standing warning that President Bola Tinubu is determined to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, no matter the cost,” Abdullahi said.

He added that Nigerians were “already living through the daily failures of the APC government — insecurity, economic hardship, and poor social welfare.”

“The people can see, and they are waiting. 2027 will be a clear battle between the people of Nigeria and President Tinubu and his gang of governors in the APC,” Abdullahi warned.

Meanwhile, Senator Seriake Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West, distanced himself from Diri’s defection, vowing to remain in the PDP.

“I remain where I have always been, in the PDP. I do not believe Nigeria should be a one-party state,” Dickson said. “It is very sad. It makes Nigeria look small and makes our democracy look ridiculous.”

He criticised what he called “a culture of political opportunism,” contrasting Nigeria’s unstable politics with Ghana’s more consistent democracy.

“In Ghana, when leaders lose elections, they stay in their parties. In Nigeria, politicians decamp at the slightest opportunity. Whatever they are pursuing or whatever is pursuing them belittles our democracy,” he said.

Dickson said while the PDP faces internal challenges, the solution lies in reform — not defection.

“There must always be opposition. A democracy without opposition ceases to be democracy; it becomes dictatorship,” he declared.

He revealed that Governor Diri had consulted him before leaving the PDP but said he found “no compelling reason” for a second-term governor to defect.

Also reacting, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose predicted that three more PDP governors would soon quit the party.

Fayose made the claim while speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, following the resignation of Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri, from the PDP.

He said:”Let me tell you, there are three more governors that will leave soon. There will be five remaining. The five remaining, one of them will struggle to catch the ticket, and they all know that the ticket is an ordinary tissue paper

“The PDP is sick and remains perpetually sick without a cure in view.”

He blamed internal sabotage, not President Tinubu, for the PDP’s crisis, saying, “They are largely killing the party because they want to control it. This is what happened in 2023.”