Party Switching in the Senate under Nigeria's Fourth Republic

One of the major features of the legislatures in the new democracies in Africa is party switching. In different legislatures, party switching has occurred frequently, although in varying degrees. One of the countries where party switching occurs very frequently is Nigeria. In Nigeria, despite operating a presidential system, an average of five senators switched parties yearly between 1999 and 2011. This study examines the phenomenon of party switching in Nigeria using the Senate, the upper chamber of the National Assembly, as a case study. The study examines the motivations for party switching among members of the Senate. Data for the study were collected from secondary sources. In analysing the data, descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis were used. The study argues that re-election concern, the ambition to pursue other career paths, and patronage are found to spur the party defections.