DECAYING DEMOCRACY AND THE SADDENING EFFECTS OF POLITICAL DEFECTION IN NIGERIA: A PRAGMA-SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DANGERS OF ONE-PARTY SYSTEM AND THE NEED FOR DISCURSIVE AND PROACTIVE DEMOCRATIC REDIRECTION

Political defections have become a recurring feature of Nigeria’s democratic landscape, particularly since the Fourth Republic. While party switching is not uncommon in democratic systems, the increasing scale and frequency of defections from opposition parties to the ruling party raise concerns about the sustainability of democratic governance in Nigeria. This article examines the phenomenon of political defection through a pragma-sociological framework, combining insights from pragmatics, political sociology, and critical discourse studies to interrogate how political actors justify defections and how such practices affect democratic accountability. Drawing on contemporary political developments and discursive representations in political commentary, the study argues that political defections in Nigeria are not merely strategic acts but discursive performances that legitimize power consolidation and weaken opposition structures. The analysis reveals that the normalization of defections contributes to the erosion of democratic competition, the weakening of institutional checks and balances, and the potential emergence of a de facto one-party system. The article concludes by calling for discursive accountability, institutional reforms, and proactive civic engagement aimed at strengthening democratic pluralism in Nigeria.