Electoral Thieves: Defections, Democracy, and the Subversion of Popular Will

> “All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not hear them.” — John 10:8 (KJV)

That was the voice of the Messiah — a moral principle by which both the Redeemer and the redeemed would be known. In the throes of the June 12 struggle, General Olusegun Obasanjo once declared that MKO Abiola was not the Messiah.

But our national obsession with finding a single Messiah has blinded us to a deeper truth: the true test of a Messianic society is not the presence or absence of saviours, but the discernment of the people. Jesus said His sheep know His voice — they will not follow thieves and robbers.

Nigeria’s tragedy, therefore, is not the abundance of political thieves and robbers; it is that the people hear them, hail them, and help them.

The Yoruba captured this truth succinctly:

> “A gbe epo l’aja o ja ole, bi eni ti o ba gba le.”
The one who stole the palm oil from the roof is not as guilty as the one who received it below.

A Messianic reign is a covenant between shepherds and sheep — leaders and followers. But a people who celebrate thieves cannot recognise saviours, nor enjoy the fruit of righteousness.

Jesus said thieves and robbers do not enter through the door. The democratic door to power is the people’s mandate, freely given through elections. Those who enter by defection — not through the ballot — are nothing but electoral thieves.

1. The New Robbery: Defections and the Betrayal of the Ballot

The spate of defections by governors, dragging entire state party structures with them, is not politics as usual. It is an assault on democracy itself.

When a governor wins office on a party’s platform — standing on its ideology, manifesto, and trust — the people’s mandate becomes inseparable from that structure. To decamp mid-term, with executive councils, legislators, and local government chairmen in tow, is to hijack the people’s will and crawl into office through the window.

In 2025, this democratic robbery unfolded across states:

Delta State: Governor Sheriff Oborevwori abandoned the PDP for the APC, reportedly with the backing of his predecessor and key party leaders.

Akwa Ibom State: Governor Umo Eno, a pastor by calling, defected to the APC, citing consultations and alignment — a moral tragedy dressed in religious robes.

Enugu State: Governor Peter Mbah led his cabinet and legislators into the APC, collapsing the opposition in his state overnight.

These are not mere political realignments; they are constitutional betrayals and moral backslidings. They strip democracy of ideology and convert majority mandates into minority monopolies.

2. The Crisis of Representative Democracy

a) Mandate vs. Platform
The vote is not personal property; it is a covenant between the people and the platform that presented the candidate. Abandoning that platform mid-stream is breach of trust and a desecration of democracy.

b) The Hijack of Majority Mandate
When an elected leader carries an entire political structure into another party, he transfers collective power without collective consent. That is not democracy — it is democratic coup d’état.

c) The Death of Ideology
Defections reveal that our politics has lost its soul. Where ideology and integrity should lead, survival and sycophancy now rule. Governance becomes a market of convenience, not a covenant of conviction.

d) Coercion and the Shadow of Power
Many defections are orchestrated through fear — of investigation, funding cuts, or political isolation. This “pressure politics” mirrors the old military command culture, not the spirit of federal democracy.

3. The Religious Smokescreen and the Crisis of Conscience

It is worse when such betrayals are sanctified in God’s name — “the Spirit led me,” “for peace,” “for unity.” This misuse of religion is hypocrisy in priestly robes.

The Church, sadly, has not discipled believers to discern between conscience and convenience. Our pulpits now produce compliant followers rather than courageous reformers. No wonder even genocide and corruption can wear cassocks of legitimacy.

If the people’s vote is the democratic “door,” then anyone who abandons his platform to crawl into power through defection is, by Christ’s standard, a thief and a robber.

4. Institutional Responsibility — The Path to Redemption

1. Reform the Law: The National Assembly, NBA, and constitutional framers must enact watertight anti-defection provisions that preserve electoral integrity and prevent cross-carpeting with mandates not personally owned.

2. Judicial Courage: Courts must treat defection-induced mandate transfers as constitutional violations and moral theft. The jurisprudence of representation must protect the people’s will.

3. Civil Society Vigilance: Democracy cannot be saved in silence. The media, academia, and faith communities must call this what it is — democratic robbery.

4. Party Renewal: Political parties must rediscover ideology. A party without conviction is a convoy of opportunists.

5. Voter Reawakening: Citizens must understand — your vote is not a transferable asset. The moment you excuse defection, you empower betrayal.

5. Apostolic Witness: Saving Democracy from Apostasy

This defection syndrome is not just a political crisis — it is a spiritual symptom. When leaders betray the people and the people applaud betrayal, the nation is in moral exile.

Nigeria’s fight for democracy was not to replace khaki with agbada, but to enthrone the will of the majority. Today, political “defections” are quiet coups — executed not by soldiers, but by politicians with a militarised mindset.

The world must pay attention — not merely for Nigeria’s sake, but for democracy itself.

To redeem our nation, we must return to the federal spirit of the 1963 Constitution, where power was balanced, accountability was local, and defection carried a moral cost.

It is hypocrisy for governors of federating units to claim that their defection is to “be part of the table at the centre.” Such logic kills federalism and strangles resource control — the very heartbeat of a true federation.

Conclusion

Nigeria must rise against this creeping apostasy — the transformation of democracy into deception.
We must reject leaders who scale the wall instead of entering through the door of the people’s will.

If we fail to act now, we will soon have a nation where elections still hold, but democracy no longer exists.

Let the world hear our cry: we stand to save democracy before democracy dies.

Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the C.E.O, Masterbuilder Communications.
Email:bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com
Facebook:Bolaji Akinyemi.
X:Bolaji O Akinyemi
Instagram:bolajioakinyemi
Phone:+2348033041236