Nigeria, April 25 -- They say rats flee a sinking ship. In Nigeria, politicians flee parties not because the ship is sinking, but because another vessel promises a fancier cabin. One election cycle after another, Nigerians watch with a mix of disbelief and exhaustion as familiar faces trade party flags like football jerseys often without offering a credible reason. The question that echoes with each political season is both simple and unnerving: why do Nigerian politicians keep jumping ship? Is it about ideology, relevance, survival, or just plain greed?

Let's be honest Nigeria's political parties are not exactly built on ideas. They don't even pretend to differ much. What we have are not ideological battlegrounds but platforms of conven...