POLITICAL DEFECTION: THE MEAL TICKET FOR SURVIVAL BY NIGERIA POLITICIANS

BY REUBEN AYODELE

 Governors That Defect to APC

The wave of political defections from one party to another, since the beginning   of the fourth republic in 1999 has assumed an alarming dimension in recent months.Especially after the thumping of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by All Progressive Congress (APC) in the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections and gubernatorial elections.

Nigerians now celebrate politicians who decamp or cross carpet as if they win a gold medal. Unlike the first republic when major political parties have ideology like Action Group (AG), National Council of Nigeria Citizen (NCNC), Northern People Congress (NPC).

Politicians who cross carpet are more celebrate and accorded higher status in Nigeria society, the fact is that they now take front sit relegating other party members of the new political party they join to the background, a case in point is the former Kano state governor and immediate past minister of education Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who was quickly made a minister by the PDP administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan as his reward for decamping from APC to PDP. Most times the decampee is quickly handed the party structures on which he or she decamp to, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state is a case study of this scenario who become the leader of PDP as soon as he decamp from Labour Party.

Decamping or cross carpeting is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, one famous political ”defector” in Britain was Winston Churchill, who first entered parliament as a conservative in 1901, defected to the liberals in 1904 and defected back to Conservative in 1925 (Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia,2014)

Political party defectors are usually regarded as political prostitute, without political principle, who does not have morality, conscience betrayals and lacking in political ideology. This trend of political defections shows politicians especially in Nigeria lack democratic values and credentials. The political system is awash with professional politicians and political entrepreneurs who do not have modern political ideology and issue driven politics like a friend of mine will say “they are ulcer patients who cannot stay without food”.

Nigeria politics are cash and carry politicians, like a butterfly who jump from one  flower to the other, The PDP has been the greatest beneficiary of cross carpeting from 1999 to 2014 it celebrated defections with fun fair having bragging rite, over the opposition always courting section of the Nigeria constitution that is salient on defection, until the law of karma beginning to take its course when the G7 and later G5 governors under the party defected to the new formed APC ever since then the center can no longer hold for the PDP who eventually suffer colossal lost in the general elections and now on the verge of collapse.

Example of some prominent Nigeria politicians who have defected in recent years are Atiku Abubakar former Vice president of Nigeria who defected from PDP to AC and became it presidential candidate in 2007 presidential election and later defected back to PDP and now in APC .Rochas Okorocha he defected from PDP to ANPP back to PDP to AA, to APGA and now APC. Rotimi  Amaechi former governor of River state defected from PDP to APC. Rabiu Kwankwaso former governor Kano state defected from PDP to APC. Theodore Orji former governor Abia state Defected from PDP to PPA and back to PDP. Peter Obi former governor of Anambra state in APGA as governor but now in PDP. ALlao Akala former governor of Oyo state defected from PDP to Labour Party and he was governorship candidate of Labour Party in 2015 elections. Ayodele Fayose Governor of Ekiti state defected from PDP to Labour Party and now iin PDP. Aliyu  Wamako former governor  of Sokoto state defected froom ANPP to PDP and in APC. Labaran Marku minister in PDP 2010-2014 defected to APGA and contested as gubernatorial ccanndidate in 2015 election.

Some senators who have also cross carpet iin recent time are sen. Musiliu Obanikoro AD  to PDP, Sen.Magnus Abe PDP to APC, Sen. Wilson Ake PDP to APC, Sen. Nkechi Nwogwu PDP to APC, Sen. Aisha Alhassan PDP to APCC, Sen.Joshua Dariye PDP to Labour Party and  now in PDP, Sen. Bindawa Jibrilla PDP to APC, Sen.Bukola Saraki PDP to APC, Sen. Saba Lafiaji PDP to APC, Sen.Barnabas Gemade PDP to APC, Sen.Abdullahi Adamu PDP  to APC, Sen.Ibrahim Gobir PDP to APC.Also  Aminu Tambuwal  former Speaker of house of representative defected from PDP to APC.The list of these politician cannot be exhausted in this write up. Just like the leopard that cannot change its spot, same apply to Nigeria politicians.it has now become a normal norm that when a state governor defect almost all members of state houses of assembly defects with him. Given credit to the maxim which says “He who pays the piper dictates the tune». This bad trend of decamping has degenerated to the level that politician now defect even before been sworn in into elective positions. A case in point is that of Bayelsa state house of assembly members and a senator elect.

 Nigerian politician takes advantage of our weak constitution to easily cross carpet. The constitution is silent on the lawfulness or otherwise of the defection of a president, vice president ,Governor and Deputy Governor .However, the 1999  constitution section 68(1) states that “A member of the senate or the house of representative shall vacate his seat in the house of which is a member, If he decamp, except there is a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by which he was previously sponsored”. But   politicians now create factions within their party even when there is no division, just to decamp or cross party. Whichever  way you look at political defections .It is morally wrong and not good for political development of the country .A matured political system require a strong political opposition for democracy to grow. Been in opposition should not be seen as a death sentence. The just concluded election in Nigeria is a reminder to this, that no single political party has monopoly of power. Any elected politician who defects should be made to step aside and seek for reelection under his new party and if it is a political appointment such a person should resign. Also the Nigeria constitution needs to be amendment to meet current political reality