The dangerous duplicity undermining Nigerian democracy

By Idowu Adebomi

To understand the true nature of Nigerian politics, one must look past the textbooks and witness the raw, unscripted practice of power. Today, a spectacle is unfolding that challenges the very foundations of political integrity and party loyalty.

At the heart of this troubling drama are two prominent figures, Nyesom Wike and Ayodele Fayose, both of whom are quintessential products of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Having risen through the ranks to become two-term governors and influential kingmakers, they now exemplify a disturbing trend of political dual citizenship.

While formally remaining under the PDP’s umbrella, these individuals openly fuel the machinery of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Wike’s ministerial role under President Bola Tinubu and Fayose’s overt support for APC candidates are not mere tactical maneuvers, they represent a profound betrayal of the voters who saw them as the vanguard of the opposition.

This duplicity is most destructive in its sponsorship of a parallel structure within the PDP. By backing a suspended former National Secretary whose suspension has been upheld by the appellate courts to challenge legitimate leadership, these actors are engaging in a scorched-earth tactic against their own house.

The legal principle at play is unequivocal: ex \: nihilo \: nihil \: fit—out of nothing, nothing comes. A suspended officer cannot lawfully convene meetings or constitute committees, and any structure erected on such a foundation is a legal nullity. However, the implications extend far beyond internal squabbles. This manufactured chaos is designed to derail the electoral process itself, as the Nigerian judiciary has set clear and painful precedents for this kind of factionalism.

In 2019, the Supreme Court nullified all APC victories in Zamfara because internal factionalism invalidated its primaries, declaring millions of votes wasted. A similar fate befell the APC in Rivers that same year, leaving the party without candidates on the ballot.

More recently, in Shiddi v. Jimkuta, the apex court reaffirmed that only primaries conducted by a party’s National Working Committee carry the weight of law. By fostering parallel factions, Wike and Fayose are setting a legal trap that could see entire candidate slates disqualified, potentially handing uncontested victories to the ruling party before a single ballot is cast.

The time for internal appeasement is over. The PDP’s Board of Trustees must move beyond statements of concern and take decisive legal action. This must include contempt proceedings against those attempting to exercise powers already voided by the courts and seeking a definitive court affirmation of the current NWC as the sole legitimate authority to shield candidates from the Zamfara treatment.

Ultimately, these actions represent a masterclass in political narcissism. These leaders have traded principle for personal vendettas, treating party allegiance as a flag of convenience. Their celebrated mastery of the game is, in reality, a poison in the veins of Nigerian democracy. It signals that the opposition can be hollowed out from within and that integrity is a negotiable commodity.

Nigeria stands at a precipice, and allowing political actors to serve two masters creates a system where self-interest overrides the public good. The strength of our democracy depends on a robust, principled opposition, and without it, we risk the total erosion of our democratic legitimacy.