The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed claims that it is coercing members of opposition parties to defect to the ruling party, insisting that such moves reflect the exercise of constitutional rights and political choice.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, stated this during an interview on Arise News on Saturday night, where he addressed growing concerns about the influx of defectors into the APC.
According to Morka, the increasing number of politicians joining the party from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and African Democratic Congress (ADC) does not signal a drift toward a one-party system but rather demonstrates the vibrancy of Nigeria’s democracy.
“I have no concern whatsoever about that because nothing that has happened — with people leaving their parties to join the APC — suggests our country is sliding into a one-party system,” Morka said. “People are simply exercising their democratic freedom to choose among competing political alternatives, and they are choosing our party.”
He dismissed suggestions that the development threatens democracy, describing such arguments as “misleading and unfair.”
“It would be disingenuous to describe this as a threat to democracy.
Would you have the APC become a gatekeeper and decide who can or cannot come in? Democracy is about freedom, and it is not fair or permissible to limit people’s right to choose for themselves,” he added.
Responding to allegations that the APC is using federal power to pressure governors and lawmakers into defecting, Morka maintained that such claims were baseless.
“In a country as massive as Nigeria, how do you cajole governors who are chief executive officers of their states?” he asked. “These are people elected by their constituents to govern.
They control their own budgets and have the power to appropriate funds. What exactly would you tell a governor to cajole him?”
He advised opposition parties to focus on resolving their internal crises instead of blaming the APC for their dwindling ranks.
“If the PDP, Labour, or ADC look inward, they will find that it is their dysfunction and failure of leadership driving people away.
Nobody wants to remain on a sinking ship. No serious politician would stay in a party that offers no hope of redemption,” he said.
Morka described the APC as a “party of hope,” crediting President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and reforms for boosting the party’s appeal.
“The APC is a party of method and hope under the leadership of the President, who is enacting hope for everyone.
Our macroeconomic indicators are improving — inflation is now around 18 percent — and it will continue to decline, translating to more food on the table for Nigerians,” he added.