By Emmanuel Kwada
In a scathing critique of Nigeria’s political landscape, Umar Ardo, Ph.D., convener of the League of Northern Democrats (LND), has declared that the country no longer needs elections, arguing that the persistent disregard for constitutional provisions by elected leaders renders the democratic process meaningless.
Let everybody simply do as they please
Ardo’s remarks come in the wake of yet another wave of high-profile defections, with legislators in Kebbi and Delta states abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in clear violation of Nigeria’s constitution.
“Since it is clear that we have decided to run our democracy without abiding by the provisions of our constitution and the law, then we as well don’t need to conduct any elections anymore,” Ardo stated in a press release. “Conducting elections every four years is itself a provision of our constitution.Let everybody simply do as they please.”
On Friday, May 9, 2025, Kebbi State’s three PDP senators—Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South)—alongside members of the House of Representatives and State House of Assembly, met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
In a widely publicized ceremony, they announced their defection to the APC, with plans to formalize the move on the floors of their respective legislative chambers on Tuesday, May 13. The event, marked by a gleeful photo session and a cryptic speech by Ganduje, follows a similar mass defection in Delta State weeks earlier, where Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, six federal lawmakers, and 22 state assembly members also crossed over to the APC.
There is no division within the ranks and structures of the PDP
Ardo described these defections as “another sad day for the Nigerian state,” accusing elected leaders of throwing “rules, laws, and constitution to the dogs” in pursuit of self-serving political expediency. He emphasized that while party-switching is not uncommon in advanced democracies like the United States and United Kingdom, Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) explicitly addresses defections under Sections 68(1)(g) and 109(1)(g) for federal and state legislators, respectively.
These provisions mandate that a legislator must vacate their seat if they switch parties before the end of their term, unless the defection results from a division within their original party or a merger of parties.
Citing the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Adegunde Vs Ondo State House of Assembly, Ardo noted that the court clarified that a “division” must affect the national structure of the party, not merely its ward, local government, or state levels.
“There is no division within the ranks and structures of the PDP,” Ardo asserted, pointing out that the defectors have no legal basis for retaining their seats. Yet, he lamented, the leadership of the legislative houses—aligned with the APC—refuses to enforce these provisions, prioritizing partisan gains over constitutional duty.
The root of the problem, Ardo argued, lies in Section 68(2) and 109(2), which empower legislative leaders to declare defectors’ seats vacant. “Because the leaderships belong to the party benefiting from the defections, partisan benefits become more convincing than enforcing the constitution they swore to uphold,” he said.
This failure, he warned, has turned Nigeria into a “lawless society,” with leaders compromising the very laws they are entrusted to apply. Ardo went further, labeling the Senate President, Speakers of the House of Representatives and State Assemblies, the APC National Chairman, and even President Tinubu as “tyrants and enemies of the state” for encouraging these violations.
Parties will retain political initiatives over their members, thereby strengthening our democracy
The consequences of this trend, Ardo cautioned, are dire. “While bandits and terrorists are outlaws, the ultimate results of compromising the law by those entrusted to apply it could create a thousand bandits and terrorists,” he said. He argued that the actions of these leaders are more dangerous than armed insurgency, as they undermine the foundation of Nigeria’s democracy and society.
To address the issue, Ardo proposed a constitutional amendment to strip legislative leadership of the power to declare seats vacant and transfer it to the sponsoring political parties. This change, he suggested, should also apply to executive officeholders to strengthen party discipline and stabilize Nigeria’s democracy. “Parties will retain political initiatives over their members, thereby strengthening our democracy,” he explained.
In a final rebuke, Ardo called for public condemnation of the defectors and their enablers. “Shame on the decamping legislators, shame on the APC National Chairman, shame on the leaderships of the legislative houses, and shame on the president himself who encourages such wanton violations of our constitution,” he declared. With such contempt for the rule of law, Ardo questioned the need for elections at all, suggesting that elected officials could simply remain in office indefinitely.
As Nigeria grapples with this latest assault on its constitutional framework, Ardo’s provocative stance has ignited a broader debate about the state of democracy and the rule of law. With the PDP vowing to challenge the defections in court, the nation awaits the outcome of this unfolding political crisis, which threatens to further erode public trust in its democratic institutions.
