Adebayo faults National Assembly Bill barring party defection, calls it unconstitutional

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has criticised a proposed bill by the National Assembly of Nigeria seeking to prohibit political defections, describing the move as unconstitutional and a threat to democratic freedoms.

Speaking during an interview on Thursday, Adebayo said the bill, which proposes sanctions against politicians who defect from one party to another, violates the constitutional right of citizens to freely associate with any political organisation.

According to him, the proposed legislation contradicts Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which guarantees freedom of association.

“It is unconstitutional to prescribe or punish a person for joining political parties. You cannot legislate that someone cannot join three political parties if they want to,” Adebayo said.

The SDP chieftain argued that while the law requires a politician to be sponsored by a single political party during an election, it does not prohibit membership in multiple political associations.

Adebayo accused lawmakers of turning the legislature into what he described as a “theatre of the absurd,” alleging that the proposed bill is designed to protect the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress from internal political instability.

“They are legislating for one person. What they are doing is legislative lynching,” he said, adding that the ruling party fears a potential wave of defections as dissatisfaction grows among its members amid economic hardship and security challenges across the country.

Adebayo also criticised members of the National Assembly for allegedly failing to hold the executive accountable, urging Nigerians to vote them out in future elections, while alleging that some lawmakers advocating the anti-defection bill had themselves switched political loyalties in the past.