Kwankwasiyya Movement Warns Of ‘Dangerous Drift’ Toward One-party Dominance

The Kwankwasiyya Movement has expressed deep concern over what it described as the growing threat of one-party dominance in Nigeria, warning that recent political defections and amendments to the Electoral Act could undermine the country’s democratic stability.

In a press statement signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Habibu Sale Mohammed, the movement, led by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, criticised the “recent passage and accelerated presidential assent to controversial amendments of the Electoral Act,” alleging that the process ignored widespread public protests, civil society advocacy, and expert warnings calling for stronger electoral safeguards.

The group said the development highlighted what it termed the dangers of unchecked dominance by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which it claimed now wields overwhelming influence across both the Executive and the National Assembly.

According to the statement, the party’s numerical strength has been significantly bolstered by defections from elected officials who won their mandates under other political platforms.

“These defections are not merely political movements; they raise serious moral and constitutional concerns,” the statement read. “When elected representatives abandon the 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 argued that Nigeria’s democratic framework is anchored on checks and balances, including a vibrant opposition and legislative independence. It warned that continued defections were systematically weakening opposition ranks, reducing legislative scrutiny, and limiting resistance to executive proposals regardless of public sentiment.

Referencing the controversy surrounding the amended Electoral Act, the group said nationwide demonstrations and position papers from civil society organisations had called for stronger guarantees of transparency. However, it noted that the ruling party ultimately secured its preferred legislative outcome.

“This sequence of events reinforces the perception that growing numerical dominance in the legislature is translating into diminished accountability,” the statement added.

The Kwankwasiyya Movement cautioned that democratic decline often occurs gradually through the normalisation of opportunistic defections and the shrinking of institutional opposition.

It called on elected representatives to remain accountable to their constituents and urged citizens to stay vigilant and peacefully engaged 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.