Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has called for a legal framework that would strip politicians of their seats if they defect from the parties under which they were elected.
Speaking at the National Action Plan for Electoral Reform Dialogue in Abuja on Wednesday, August 27, organised by the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Jonathan said party indiscipline and political opportunism have become a major threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
“Parties are the foundation of any democracy, but in our context, they have become vulnerable to opportunism and instability,” he said.
He decried the growing trend of defections, noting that elected officials often switch parties without any ideological basis or accountability to the people who voted for them.
“We have seen a disturbing rise in the practice of cross-cupping — elected officials defecting from the parties under which they were elected, often without ideological justification or accountability to the electorate.
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“To remedy this, we should strongly consider the establishment of an independent Office of the Registrar of Political Parties charged with regulating party operations, promoting internal democracy, and enforcing party discipline,” Jonathan stated.
The former president suggested that the registrar should be empowered to “declare the seat of any defector vacant”, citing Kenya and Malawi as countries where such reforms have strengthened democracy.
“This reform would affirm the principle that the electoral mandate belongs to the people and not to individual ambition,” he added.
Jonathan also spoke about wider reforms, including a more independent process for appointing the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and ensuring election disputes are resolved before winners are sworn in.
He stressed that electoral reform is not about partisanship but about strengthening democracy.
“The reforms we are discussing today are not partisan. They are patriotic. They are not meant to benefit any one group, but to strengthen Nigeria,” he concluded.