Gov Yusuf: Claiming Defections Are a Result of Coercion Is Intellectually Lazy

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A prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Sowunmi, has dismissed allegations that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is coercing politicians into defecting, describing such claims as intellectually lazy and politically convenient.

Sowunmi made this assertion in an article titled “Democracy Is Not an Entitlement: A Response to the Alarmism Ahead of 2027,” which he published on X on Tuesday. In the piece, he argued that warnings about the erosion of democracy due to political realignments stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of democratic principles.

He was responding to claims that Nigeria’s democracy is under threat following the defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, to the ruling APC.

According to Sowunmi, the strength of democracy should not be judged by the comfort or political fortunes of elites, but by the extent to which citizens retain the freedom to choose their leaders.

“By any meaningful standard, democracy is assessed not by how comfortable politicians feel, but by whether citizens still possess the power to choose,” he wrote.

He noted that critics were mistakenly equating political setbacks with democratic decline, and loss of influence with loss of freedom.

Sowunmi stressed that democracy does not guarantee political relevance to any party, but rather safeguards fundamental rights such as freedom of association, expression, political competition, and voting.

“Democracy does not impose an obligation on a ruling party to preserve its opposition. Political parties must earn competitiveness; it is not an entitlement,” he said.

He maintained that defections and shifting political alliances are natural features of democratic systems, not constitutional breaches, warning against portraying such developments as evidence of coercion without concrete proof.

“To present defections as proof of coercion, without evidence, is intellectually lazy and politically expedient. Nigerian politicians are not captives; they are active agents who respond to incentives, ideology, ambition, and political survival,” Sowunmi stated.

He further argued that if opposition parties are losing members, the critical issue should be why they are no longer inspiring confidence, rather than resorting to accusations of intimidation or force.

The PDP stalwart also rejected claims that democracy would be endangered if a sitting president served two terms, noting that Nigeria’s democratic institutions had remained stable during similar periods in the past.