In Nigeria’s democratic journey, the people’s hope for genuine representation is gradually giving way to despair. The promise of multi-party democracy — where ideas should thrive and choices should matter — has become a cruel illusion. What we see instead is a theatre of betrayal, where politicians shift loyalties at will, and the people are left clutching the ashes of broken trust.
In a country where political rivalry often breeds hatred, violence, and even death, one would expect that those who benefit from the people’s sweat and sacrifice would, at least, uphold the sanctity of their mandate. But no — not in Nigeria. After bitterly fought elections, filled with tension, blood, and tears, politicians waste no time crossing over to their so-called enemies in search of greener pastures.
It has become a recurring shame: elected officials from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and the Labour Party (LP) — all products of people’s hard work and faith — now conveniently defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Their excuses range from the absurd to the insulting: “internal party crisis,” “lack of structure,” or the laughable “I was convinced by the developmental strides of the governor or president.”
The question that echoes in every market, every gathering, and every home is simple: Was it worth it?
Ordinary Nigerians, who queued under the scorching sun, who fought, bled, and believed, now look on in disbelief. They watch as their so-called leaders trade party platforms like used clothes in a market. They see promises evaporate into thin air and are left wondering why they should continue to risk their lives or waste their time voting for people who have no ideology, no shame, and no loyalty — except to themselves.
It has reached the point where the people ask, why bother? Why should anyone die for a politician who will tomorrow dine with those he called the enemy? Why should anyone fight for a party that even its candidates do not respect?
Today, voter turnout is falling sharply, not because Nigerians do not love their country, but because they no longer believe in a system built on deceit. Political parties have become mere platforms for personal ambition — vehicles to power, quickly abandoned once the destination is reached.
How many of those elected on the platform of the opposition still stand with the party that brought them to power? Governors, senators, assembly members — they all switch allegiance the moment they secure victory. Loyalty ends where power begins.
Only in Nigeria does a politician become a landlord overnight, while the people — the real owners of the mandate — are reduced to tenants taking orders from their new master.
And so, the people sigh in pain and conclude: perhaps, it is no longer worth the trouble. Perhaps, Nigeria’s democracy has become a game for the few, while the masses remain spectators in their own story
Alfred M.Akwe is a veteran journalist and a public affairs analyst based in Lafia Nasarawa State and can be contacted on akwealfred6@gmail.com
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