Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has come to the defense of former presidential candidate Peter Obi, dismissing criticisms over Obi’s history of switching political parties and insisting that such movements are a normal feature of Nigerian politics rather than an exception.
Umeh made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television, where he addressed growing public debate around political loyalty and the frequent realignments among prominent politicians.
He argued that it is misleading to single out Obi for criticism when, according to him, virtually all major political actors in the country have moved across different parties at various stages of their careers.
The senator maintained that party switching in Nigeria is driven by political realities, ideological shifts, and strategic decisions rather than personal inconsistency or lack of commitment.
He stressed that the country’s political environment has long been fluid, with alliances constantly evolving as elections approach and new platforms emerge.
In his words, Umeh insisted that critics often ignore the broader context of political history in Nigeria. “There is nobody in Nigerian politics who has consistently stayed in one political party. All of them saying these things, if give me a piece of paper and I will write down for you all the parties they have gone through. Even Tinubu was in the SDP. From SDP he went to the Alliance for Democracy. From the Alliance for Democracy, he went to the Action Congress. From the Action Congress, he went to the Action Congress of Nigeria. From the Action Congress of Nigeria, he went to the APC,” he said.
By referencing the political journey of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Umeh sought to illustrate what he described as a common pattern among Nigeria’s political elite. He suggested that Tinubu’s progression through multiple political platforms reflects the same reality experienced by many others in the system.
Umeh further argued that party migration should not be interpreted as a character flaw but rather as part of the adaptive nature of democratic politics in Nigeria.
He noted that shifting political affiliations often reflect changing circumstances, including mergers, dissolutions, and realignments that reshape the political landscape over time.
Comment:
Hello! Lets gives more chance to the RULING PARTY APC again. We’re seeing the wealthy skills of competence and compatible of companionship who’s not comparing or discriminating whichever party you won the election. Who open up the door of compensations to all the positioned leaders nation-wide like His Excellency president Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He’s a one man squad and as one man standing to see how he can set Nigeria and Nigerians to the right place.
We must give him a collective supportive hands to make this Nation Nigeria a better nation.
We should be sincere and serious in our daily duties, like as civil servants, as businessmen &women, and so on, these’re collective body that make NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT.
Thanks.