Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has criticised the proposed bill by the National Assembly to prohibit political party defections, describing the move as unconstitutional and a threat to democratic freedoms.

Speaking during an interview yesterday, Adebayo said the bill, which proposes sanctions against politicians who defect from one party to another, violates the constitutional right of citizens to freely associate with any political organisation.

According to him, the legislation contradicts Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association.

“It is unconstitutional to punish a person for joining political parties. You cannot legislate that someone cannot join three political parties if they want to,” Adebayo said.

The SDP chieftain argued that the law only allows a politician to be sponsored by one political party during an election but does not prohibit membership in multiple political associations.

He accused lawmakers of turning the legislature into what he described as a “theatre of the absurd,” alleging that the proposed bill is aimed at protecting the administration of President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from internal political instability.

“They are legislating for one person. What they are doing is legislative lynching,” he said.

He argued that the ruling party fears a potential wave of defections as dissatisfaction grows among its members amid economic hardship and security challenges across the country.

“The state of the economy is bad, the state of security is bad and the general welfare of Nigerians is poor,” he said, adding that public confidence in the government has declined.

According to him, the proposed legislation is intended to prevent politicians within the ruling party from abandoning it if political conditions worsen.

Adebayo also criticised members of the National Assembly for allegedly failing to hold the executive accountable, urging Nigerians to remove them from office in future elections.

“The National Assembly is the enabler of many of the problems we complain about,” he said. “They should ensure the executive obeys the constitution, but instead they simply approve whatever is sent to them.”

He also alleged that some lawmakers pushing the anti-defection proposal had themselves switched political loyalties.

Responding to suggestions that the APC’s growing political dominance, with most state governors and a majority of federal lawmakers aligned with the party, indicates strength, he said the numbers were achieved largely through political manoeuvring rather than electoral support.

He argued that defections among politicians do not necessarily reflect the mood of ordinary Nigerians.

“The fact that you capture the governors does not mean the people are happy with you,” he said. “It is the people who will have the final say.”

On the country’s worsening security situation, he reiterated his earlier call for President Tinubu to step down.

He said meaningful reform of Nigeria’s armed forces would require a change in leadership.

“The most sustainable thing we can do is to rejig our armed forces, and the first step is to change the commander-in-chief.

“President Tinubu should resign from office because he cannot perform the duties of the office.”

Adebayo concluded that the current political developments signal deeper problems within Nigeria’s governance system, warning that attempts to restrict political freedoms could further weaken the country’s democracy. (The Sun)