THERE are divergent views about the defections from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Some observers blamed the ruling party for not addressing the complaints of the aggrieved members, in a bid to avert the defections.
A chieftain of the APC, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, said the defection is not good for Nigeria’s democracy. In his view, it suggests there is instability in the polity.
Mamora, a former Deputy Senate Minority Leader, said the defection suggested that party membership was not based on ideology. He said if party members are committed to its ideals, it would be difficult for people to change parties at will. Most politicians, he said, are not committed to what the party stands for, adding that they are looking for where to actualise their ambition.
He said the country cannot get it right over night, “it has to be gradual”. He added: “Political system is self-refining; democracy is a process; we need to look inward, identify our mistakes and make efforts to rectify them. As we progress, things will improve.”
On whether the defectors should be persuaded to return to the APC, Mamora said there are ongoing talks with aggrieved party members, adding that it is important to continue to reach out to everyone, with a view to building a consensus.
Lawyer and human rights activist Mr. Monday Ubani said it is a sad development that some of the aggrieved politicians who left the PDP for the APC in 2014 are now going back to their former party. “Why are they going back?” he asked rhetorically.
Ubani blamed it on the constitution that allows people who were voted on a political platform to change party and still retain the position. He said: “We need to fine-tune the constitution to ensure that those provisions that encourage these double standards are removed.
“We need to strengthen our polity; we need political parties with ideologies; and we have to reform the parties. What do they stand for? It is amazing that Labour Party is struggling to win elections, despite the fact that 60 per cent of Nigerians are workers.
“Everything is upside down in Nigeria. Jumping from one party to other is politics of survival, which is not in the interest of the country. Some African countries like Ghana and Kenya are ahead of us in politics and governance.”
To the Publicity Secretary of Lagos APC, Mr Joe Igbokwe, the defection will not affect the political fortune of the party in 2019.
Igbokwe said most of the defectors were looking for a new platform to contest in 2019, because they were not sure they would get APC ticket. They have problems in their constituencies; they have lost contact with the people who voted them into office.
He said: “They want to remain in Abuja at all costs. For instance, Senators Soji Akanbi (Oyo) and Lanre Tejuosho (Ogun) have known that they would not be re-nominated. They have to look for another platform to seek re-election. If it were governors that have defected, we would be worried, because the governors controlled the party structures not the legislators.
“In fact, the defectors and their new party – the PDP- are not happy with the Executive Order Six recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari that empowers him to order the forfeiture of cash or properties acquired through corrupt means. Many of them are planning to deploy their ill-gotten wealth for 2019 polls. They are taken unawares.”
Second Republic politician Alhaji Tanko Yakasai attributed the defections to the APC’s failure to pacify the aggrieved members. He said: “It means the effort of the APC to dissuade some of its members in the National Assembly to remain in the fold did not yield the desired result. As you know, they have been having meetings with the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. What happened today suggests that the meetings did not achieve the desired result.
“I am not impressed by the APC’s argument that the defectors lack electoral value. Otherwise, why did the party allow them to contest the last general election on its platform?”
The National Chairman of Unity Progressives Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, said the development does not come as a surprise. His words: “The spate of defections widely expected before the next general elections has started with what happened in the National Assembly today (Tuesday). Most politicians, including myself, predicted the realignment of forces currently taking place within the political arena.
“The two major parties, the APC and the PDP are not handling the situation properly; they are actually heating up the polity. There is nothing wrong in realigning within the political space, to improve their chances of electoral relevance and victory.
“But the way they are making it look like a war situation is what I am worried about. For instance, for the PDP to have mooted the idea of boycotting the next general elections, to me, smacks of panic, because anyone who knows the history of election boycott in Nigeria would not contemplate that; that is the easiest way of surrendering, to give your opponent full control. So, anyone who is talking of a boycott is just grandstanding and must have lost confidence in his ability to face the challenge.
“On the part of the APC, their muscle-flexing because they are in power is something that can cause a major breakdown of law and order. The siege on the residence of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy is ill-advised. The fact that it was leaked to the Senate President and he was able to sneak out, to take refuge in the hallowed chambers of the Senate shows that there is no secret within the Presidency. It has exposed the lack of cohesion in the Presidency and the security agencies involved in the operation. It is a sad commentary about our democracy; the international community would be alarmed by the development.
“I worried that things are getting out of hand. I expect President Muhammadu Buhari to do something as the father of the nation to stem the tide of the growing high-handedness of the administration.
“The development portrays the desperation of the ruling party. They initially dangled some carrots, but when that gesture did not elicit the desired reaction, the party switched gear, by wielding the big stick. There is also an element of panic; and in a panic situation, rationalisation is usually thrown overboard. So, what has happened lacks rationality; it lacks logic; it smacks of panic and desperation.
“It should not be so, because the political space in Nigeria is wide; all they need to do is to attract others to come in. I expect the President to put a stop to this as soon as possible. People should be allowed to align as they wish and nobody should be hounded as a result. If today the ruling party is losing people, instead of attracting new members, there is some home work to be done.”
The Southeast Secretary of Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Jerry Chukwuokolo, said the style of governance of President Buhari is to blame for the disaffection within the APC. His words: “I have two observations. First of all, we have seen that a leopard cannot change its skin. President Buhari has shown by his conduct in the last three years that he is not a democrat and most likely at his age he can never be.
“That’s number one. Two, we should appreciate the defectors for their courage to insist on the tenets of democracy. The President has shown, as far as I am concerned, some elements of not being a good craftsman, because only a fool will say that he is being sincere with what he is doing now. He has been acting this way for the past three years. He is doing this when he still need our votes; if he gets elected for a second term when he would not need our votes, what will he do?
“I believe it is on the basis of this premise that the lawmakers decided to withdraw their membership of the ruling party, because he would do worse if he gets a second term. That’s the way I understand it.
“But be that as it may, this country is for all of us and it is a democracy we must all protect at all cost. So, we must not allow anybody to truncate it, because this country is larger than all of us. You can now see why a lot of people are agitating that they want to leave the union.
“In my view, I think the President has scored only 20 per cent so far; you know as teachers we normally like to score people. All along, he has been trying to force everybody to think the way he thinks; there is no way everybody would think alike. Unfortunately, the way he is thinking is not democratic. No matter how foolish the majority is, once the majority agrees, that is the way it will be.
“It is unfortunate that they are heating up the polity. In the midst of all the confusion, the country is not moving forward; things are hardening up; accountability is no longer there. The other day the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) alleged that the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, refused to transmit money to the Federation Account.”