As reported by Punch, Prof. Abdulkarim Kana, the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressive Congress, clarified the distinction between political and legal defections. He highlighted that a politician's public announcement of defection does not automatically signify that the legal procedures have been fully completed. He clarified that a political defection entails someone announcing their switch to a different party, which can lead to turmoil and misunderstanding. He contended that many people ignore these crucial aspects of the legal defection procedure.
He said, "It is a position that is very clear. What people don’t understand is that there is a political defection and there is a legal defection. A person may politically defect and may not legally do so. A political defection is me coming out to say I have moved or defected to another party. I will go to the National Assembly to make noise, and raise dust here and there to create confusion. But the thing is this: If I claim I have left the party, have I written a letter of resignation to intimate the party and have they accepted my resignation? That is number one.
Secondly, have I visited my ward to register with the new party I joined and received acknowledgment? This is important because the party constitution or the NEC might reject an individual's membership application. These are the steps that people often overlook.