The House of Representatives is working on a constitutional amendment that could make it mandatory for a president, vice president, governor, or deputy governor to resign if they defect during their tenure without any internal crisis in their original party.
This proposal is part of the House Committee on Constitution Review’s ongoing work to review the 1999 Constitution.
The committee, led by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, aims to submit the final draft by December 2025.
As part of the process, the committee will begin a tour across Nigeria on Saturday to gather public input, starting with Kaduna and Sokoto.
The proposed bill targets Sections 143 and 188 of the Constitution and seeks to define defection without party crisis as gross misconduct.
This would give the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly the power to remove such elected officials.
The issue of defection has long caused controversy in Nigeria’s political system.
In 2006, Vice President Atiku Abubakar left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Action Congress after falling out with President Olusegun Obasanjo. Although Obasanjo asked him to resign, the courts ruled in Atiku’s favour.
In more recent years, several governors have switched parties, raising concerns about loyalty to voters and the political system.
The proposed law, if passed, would mark a turning point in Nigeria’s political structure and may change how political loyalty and accountability are handled among elected leaders.
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