The Kwankwasiyya Movement has raised concern over what it described as the growing dominance of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the recent amendment to the Electoral Act highlights the risks of one-party control in Nigeria’s democracy.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Habibu Sale Mohammed, the movement expressed worry over the quick passage and presidential assent to the amended Electoral Act despite public protests and warnings from civil society groups and experts.
According to the statement, the development has further revealed the danger of unchecked one-party dominance.
They noted that the APC now holds overwhelming influence across both the Executive and the National Assembly.
The movement said this dominance has been strengthened by defections of elected officials who won their seats under other political parties but later joined the ruling party.
“These defections are not merely political movements; they raise serious moral and constitutional concerns,” the statement read.
“When elected representatives abandon the political platforms upon which they were entrusted with the people’s mandate without clear ideological justification or constituency consultation, it amounts to a distortion of democratic representation.”
The movement stressed that the mandate belongs to the electorate, not to individual officeholders.
It also warned that Nigeria’s democracy was designed to operate on checks and balances, with a strong opposition and independent legislature playing key roles.
“When defections systematically weaken opposition ranks, legislative scrutiny diminishes, and executive proposals face reduced resistance regardless of public sentiment,” it stated.
Referring to the controversy surrounding the Electoral Act amendment, the group said that despite nationwide demonstrations and calls for stronger safeguards to ensure transparency, the ruling party succeeded in pushing through its preferred outcome.
“This sequence of events reinforces the perception that the growing numerical dominance in the legislature is translating into diminished accountability,” the statement added.
The Kwankwasiyya Movement cautioned that democracy does not usually collapse suddenly but erodes gradually through repeated actions that weaken opposition and concentrate power.
It called on elected representatives to remember that their loyalty should be to the Nigerian people and urged citizens to remain peaceful but vigilant in defending democratic institutions.
“Nigeria’s democracy belongs to its people. It must not be weakened by convenience, nor compromised by concentration of power,” the statement concluded.
Electoral Act amendment shows Nigeria practicing one-party democracy – Kwankwasiyya
