The Kwankwasiyya Movement has issued a sharp political rebuke following the swift passage and presidential assent to controversial amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act, describing the development as a troubling sign of “unchecked one-party dominance.”
In a strongly worded statement signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Habibu Sale Mohammed, the movement argued that the accelerated legislative process — despite public protests, civil society advocacy, and expert warnings — underscores what it calls the growing imbalance of power in the country’s democratic architecture.
According to the group, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) now wields overwhelming influence across both the Executive and the National Assembly — a dominance it says has been significantly bolstered by defections from elected officials who originally secured mandates under rival political platforms.
“Mandate Belongs to the People”
The movement described the wave of defections as more than routine political realignment, framing it instead as a moral and constitutional dilemma.
“When elected representatives abandon the platforms on which they were entrusted with the people’s mandate — without ideological clarity or constituency consultation — it distorts democratic representation,” the statement read, insisting that electoral mandates belong to voters, not individual officeholders.
Warning Signs for Democracy
Kwankwasiyya warned that Nigeria’s constitutional democracy depends on strong checks and balances, legislative independence, and a vibrant opposition capable of scrutinizing executive actions.
The group cited the controversy surrounding the amended Electoral Act as a prime example of what it called shrinking institutional resistance. Despite nationwide demonstrations and position papers from civil society organisations advocating stronger safeguards for transparency, the ruling party ultimately secured its preferred legislative outcome.
“This sequence reinforces the perception that growing numerical dominance in the legislature is translating into diminished accountability,” the statement noted.
“Democracy Erodes Gradually”
In a broader cautionary tone, the movement warned that democracies rarely collapse overnight but often weaken gradually — through normalized defections, weakened opposition ranks, and laws perceived to sideline public sentiment.
It cautioned against what it described as a drift toward a de facto one-party state, stressing that political pluralism and ideological competition remain vital to Nigeria’s democratic health.
Call for Vigilance
The Kwankwasiyya Movement urged elected officials to prioritise loyalty to the electorate and called on citizens to remain vigilant, peaceful, and actively engaged in defending democratic institutions.
“Nigeria’s democracy belongs to its people,” the statement concluded. “It must not be weakened by convenience, nor compromised by concentration of power.”
*Kwankwasiyya Blasts Defections, Warns of “Creeping One-Party State” After Electoral Act Amendments*
