Gov Yusuf: It is Intellectually Lazy To Say Defections Is A Sign Of Coercion – Segun Sowunmi

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Sowunmi, has dismissed claims that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is forcing politicians to defect.

Speaking via an article titled “Democracy Is Not an Entitlement: A Response to the Alarmism Ahead of 2027”, published on X on Tuesday, he argued that warnings about democracy without competition were based on misreading of democratic principles

He was reacting to claims that democracy in Nigeria is under threat following the defection of the Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, to the ruling party.

Sowunmi argued that democracy should not be measured by the comfort or fortunes of political actors but by whether citizens retain the power to choose their leaders

“By any serious standard, democracy is measured not by how comfortable political actors feel, but by whether citizens retain the power to choose,” he wrote.

According to him, critics were wrongly equating political disadvantage with democratic erosion and loss of influence with loss of freedom.

He stressed that democracy does not guarantee political relevance to parties but protects rights such as freedom of association, speech, contestation and voting

“Democracy does not impose a duty on a ruling party to preserve its opponents. Parties earn competitiveness; they are not entitled to it,” Sowunmi said.

He maintained that defections and shifting alliances were normal political outcomes, not constitutional violations, and cautioned against portraying such movements as evidence of coercion without proof.

“To portray defections as evidence of coercion without proof is intellectually lazy and politically convenient. Nigerian politicians are not hostages; they are actors. They respond to incentives, ideology, ambition, and survival,” he stated.

Sowunmi further argued that if opposition parties were losing members, the critical question should be why they were no longer inspiring confidence, rather than alleging force or intimidation.

The PDP chieftain rejected suggestions that democracy would be endangered if a sitting president completed two terms, noting that democratic institutions remained intact during similar periods in the past.