As the political atmosphere gradually thickens ahead of the 2027 general elections in Nigeria, citizens must begin to observe with greater vigilance a disturbing pattern that has continued to weaken our democratic culture — the desperate migration of politicians from one political party to another in pursuit of tickets, power and personal advantage.
The season is here again when many politicians who failed to secure nominations within their political parties will suddenly begin to speak of “new visions,” “new directions,” and “fresh ideologies.” Overnight, individuals who once passionately defended a political platform will begin to attack it bitterly, not necessarily because of principle or conviction, but because their ambitions were frustrated.
This conduct must be rejected by all genuine lovers of democracy.
Politics is not football betting where one keeps changing clubs in search of victory. Genuine party membership requires loyalty, discipline, sacrifice, patience and respect for collective decisions. Democracy cannot thrive where politicians treat political parties like commercial buses to be boarded and abandoned at convenience.
The dangerous mentality of “it must be me at all costs” remains one of the greatest afflictions of Nigerian politics. It breeds bitterness, division, betrayal and instability. It destroys ideology and reduces political participation to a selfish marketplace driven by personal interests and unchecked ambition.
A politician who cannot remain loyal after losing a primary election is already signaling to the public a lack of the temperament and discipline required for leadership.
Indeed, those who cannot follow can never truly lead.
In every civilized democracy, internal political contests produce both winners and losers. Mature democrats understand and accept this reality. They remain committed to the party after primaries and continue contributing to the growth of the system. Good sportsmen remain loyal to the team even when temporarily benched. Only opportunists abandon the ship the moment personal ambition suffers delay or disappointment.
Nigerians must therefore shine their eyes.
When politicians move from the APC to the PDP, from the PDP to the Labour Party, from the Labour Party to the SDP, ADC, NNPP or any available political platform merely because they failed to secure tickets, Nigerians must understand clearly that many of them are not driven by service to the people, but by service to self.
Their loyalty is neither to ideology nor national development. Their loyalty is to personal ambition.
A politician who betrays one platform today may betray another tomorrow. A man who has no respect for party discipline cannot easily be trusted with public discipline. Those who move endlessly from party to party weaken democratic institutions and reduce elections to mere vehicles for personal survival and political convenience.
This culture of political prostitution must be condemned firmly and publicly.
Nigeria needs statesmen, not political refugees. We need builders of institutions, not merchants of ambition. We need democrats who can lose with dignity, remain steadfast, and wait patiently for another opportunity, not desperate actors who see public office as a personal entitlement.
As 2027 approaches, Nigerians must carefully interrogate the character of those seeking power. Citizens must not merely listen to promises and campaign slogans. They must ask deeper questions:
What did these politicians stand for yesterday? Whom were they loyal to? Did they remain steadfast during difficult moments, or did they abandon their platforms at the first sign of disappointment?
Democracy survives not only through elections, but through discipline, loyalty, consistency, character and honour.
The time has come for Nigerians to reject political wanderers whose only ideology is personal ambition and whose only mission is self-preservation.
Dr. Festus Goziem Okubor writes from Asaba, the Delta State Capital
