The National Assembly on Friday pledged urgent amendments to the Electoral Act to stem the rising tide of defections by elected officials, warning that the trend threatens Nigeria’s democratic integrity.
Clerk of the Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, made the commitment at a symposium in Abuja honouring the Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
He was responding to a passionate appeal by Yiaga Africa Executive Director, Samson Itodo, who decried the defection wave as a subversion of voter trust.
Itodo pointed to the April 23 defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former PDP vice-presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa to the APC, which effectively dismantled the PDP’s state structure.
He also noted a surge of lawmakers from PDP, Labour Party, and NNPP defecting to the ruling APC.
He urged a serious legal and intellectual approach to halt “cross-carpeting.”
Ogunlana promised action, stating, “The legislature is committed to addressing this challenge through reforms that will safeguard democracy.”
He also highlighted the strategic role of NILDS under its current leadership, emphasizing high-level backing from President Bola Tinubu and the heads of the National Assembly.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Victor Umeh, commended NILDS DG Sulaiman for transforming the institute into a “citadel of legislative excellence,” crucial for building competent lawmakers.
“The institute now embodies the essence of democratic education and lawmaking capacity,” Umeh said.
