The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mass defection

  • Ogun APC crisis: Amosun’s men plot mass defection

    •DPP, ADP are options – Aides

    Many associates and aides of Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, are in the process of defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    They are aggrieved by the rejection of the nomination of Amosun’s anointed governorship candidate, Mr. Adekunle  Akinlade and a few others  by the national leadership of the party.

    The Nation gathered that such Amosun loyalists have already cut deals with other political parties, including the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and the Action Democratic Party (ADP), ahead of their defection from the APC.

    The Nation gathered that a serving commissioner in Amosun’s government co-ordinated discussions with the DPP while one of the three vice chairmen of the APC in the state handled the deal with the ADP.

    Sources said the first move by the Amosun camp to leave the APC was made as soon as the APC national secretariat refused to accept the result of the primaries that produced Akinlade as governorship candidate.

    The move has the full backing of the governor  although he himself has vowed to stay on in the APC.

    One of the governor’s allies involved in the deal said: “It is a move serious politicians should expect.

    “We know we are the popular ones across the state. APC cannot win in Ogun State without Amosun and his people.

    “But we can go it alone if APC refuses to recognize our worth. We saw the treachery going on and we thought of pre-empting the situation. What you are seeing playing out didn’t just happen. We saw the need and we acted.”

    The group was locked in a strategic meeting at press time to determine which of the two platforms -DPP and ADP- is best placed to help   Akinlade in realizing his governorship ambition.

    Another source in the group said the affected associates, aides and supporters of the governor will announce their defection from the APC in a matter of days.

    The source said: “They will also announce their new political party. Many of them will emerge as substitute candidates of the chosen party upon their official defection during the week.

    “All is set for Amosun’s people to call the bluff of the APC and its national leaders.”

    On Amosun’s continued membership of the APC, the source said:  “That is one of the issues that delayed the move till now.

    “While some of our leaders see the need for Amosun to remain in the APC for strategic reasons, some others are of the opinion that it is better and more effective for him to lead his camp out of the APC.

    “Before now, there was the fear that even Amosun might be denied the Ogun Central Senatorial ticket. But he got it and two of our people also got the other senatorial tickets.

    “There is need to decide whether they should hold on to the tickets or drop them and pick the tickets of the party to be adopted. All these will be ironed out at the meeting today. But one thing is sure; our group will not stay in the APC and work for Dapo Abiodun.

    “Already, we have our people as candidates of both the DPP and ADP across the state. The deals with the party will be ready to substitute the names they submitted to INEC with the names of our people once we join their party. While DPP submitted the names of people who gave them to stand in for our real candidates across the state, the ADP assured us that once we choose their party, our candidates will be forwarded as substitutes.”

    Some prominent aides and associates of Amosun  have already been named  as candidates of the DPP in the list of  National Assembly candidates released last week by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye; a Senior Special Assistant to Amosun, Alhaji Bola Adeyemi and the Governor’s Special Adviser on Energy, Chief Taiwo Fagbemi, are named as DPP’s senatorial candidates for Ogun East, Central and West district respectively.

    Also, former APC chairman for Egbado South Local Government, Odebiyi Safiu Abiodun, is DPP’s House of Representatives candidate for Egbado South /Ipokia Federal constituency, a younger brother

  • Mass defection looms in Bayelsa PDP

    •Lawmaker, others defect to APC

    A member representing Yenagoa constituency 1 in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr. Alfred Egba, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    Egba left PDP with a drove of his supporters and associates, including, Mr. Somne Ogoligi, a former Special Adviser on Special Duties to a former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva.

    Also, a former commissioner in the State Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC), Chief Alfred Egba, has joined the APC.

    As previously reported by The Nation, PDP heavyweights in the state are getting set to join the APC ahead of the 2016 governorship elections.

    Apart from Egba, sources in the state House of Assembly said other lawmakers will soon declare for the APC.

    Over 10 lawmakers who lost their bids to return to the assembly having lost the PDP’s tickets were said to be warming up to reunite with Sylva in APC.

    It was further gathered that most members of the PDP’s camp loyal to the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, were getting ready to join the APC.

    A lawmaker, who spoke in confidence, said: “Many of us will soon leave the PDP. The force of PDP will soon be depleted in the state. All the people who matter in the party are getting ready to go. Just watch and see what will happen after the handover. The development will shock you.”

    It was gathered that the decision by prominent members of the PDP to move to the APC was informed by the new political profile of Sylva.

    The regrouping of Sylva’s loyalists in APC is also said to be part of the plan to begin a battle of unseating Dickson.

    Egba blamed his defection on the crisis rocking the state PDP, which he said led to two persons dragging the chairmanship of the party.

    He said the party no longer guaranteed him the needed political covering, adding that he was not comfortable in the state leadership of the party.

    “I am leaving the PDP because the party could no longer give me the needed converting. I am no longer comfortable with the protracted crisis in the state leadership of the party as seen in the controversies surrounding the emergence of a factional chairman of the party.

    “Another person still claims to be in charge of the party leadership. The party has since been hijacked and there were many occasions when I was never aware of development in my constituency.

    “I consulted with stakeholders and also sought the face of God before deciding to quit the party,” he said

  • Mass defection, bad for democracy

    Mass defection, bad for democracy

    SIR: A vital and strong opposition is needed and necessary for democracy to work and develop. It is in the interest of the country as a whole, especially the ordinary people that the opposition should play its role effectively well so that they can give the people a choice whenever they go to the polls. The way the people would get this benefit is to have intelligent, well read and experience politicians on the opposition.

    Following the victory of the All Progressives Congress APC and its Presidential Candidate Major General Muhammadu Buhari at the March 28 Presidential election, a wind of defection hit the camp of the People’s Democratic Party PDP. The defection of high ranking chieftains of the PDP, deputy governors and state commissioners even when their bosses, the governors are still members of the PDP has created a worrisome dimension and an unhealthy trend in the Nigerian democracy.

    Given the immense role that the opposition is supposed to play in holding the ruling government duly accountable to the people, it is wrong for anyone who truly believes in democracy to celebrate the defection of those expected to form a strong and formidable opposition that would hold the incoming government accountable to the people after its inauguration on May 29.

    Quality opposition speaks for the market women, the unemployed youth; it gives voice to the weak and the vulnerable in the society. PDP and indeed all other political parties should therefore rise above the mentality of “I must chop with them” and brace up to the challenge of playing the role of opposition.

    Since the formation of the APC though a fusion of ANPP, CPC, ACN and a faction of APGA over a year ago, APC was able to hold the ruling government accountable and the PDP administration was careful in most of its policies and programmes knowing fully well that the APC is watching with keen interest and always willing to criticize and take it head-on.  This is exactly the same role Nigerians expect the PDP to play after the May 29 handing over.

    PDP should recognize that the reason Nigerians were able to make the informed choice of rejecting and voting her out at the last presidential election was majorly because APC played its role so well. If the PDP is really serious about coming back to power, then they should better get their acts together, put their house in order and move swiftly to halt these defections from their umbrella.

     

    • Hussain Obaro,

    Ilorin, Kwara State.

  • Mass defection hits PDP in Ebonyi

    Mass defection hits PDP in Ebonyi

    Mass defection has hit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State.

    But the party yesterday tried to stop the defection of the stakeholders, who helped Deputy Governor Dave Umahi to wrest its structure from Governor Martin Elechi.

    At press time, about three governorship aspirants were discussing with the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) to join the party.

    One of them, a serving senator from Ebonyi Central, has been given the running mate ticket of the LP.

    But the lawmaker is said to  prefer the senatorial ticket.

    Another aspirant, who hails from the same local government with Umahi, has also indicated his intention to dump PDP for LP.

    A source close to the aspirant, who pleaded anonymity, said the aspirant, a former commissioner in Elechi’s administration, was disposed to joining the LP.

    Another aspirant from Ebonyi South, an ex-commissioner in Elechi’s government, is in talk with the LP.

    They are said to be annoyed with the Umahi camp for reneging on the promises made to them.

    Other stakeholders on the verge of defecting from the PDP include a former senator from Ebonyi North, who is annoyed with the Umahi faction for reneging on its promise to make him the running mate to the deputy governor.

    One of the federal lawmakers in the Umahi camp, it was learnt, had defected to the LP.

    He was said to be aggrieved that the Umahi faction reneged on its promise to give him the House of Representatives ticket.

    A source in the LP, who confirmed the defections, said the party was ready to welcome more defectors.

    He said: “There is a difference between winning the ticket of a party and winning an election. Umahi’s camp may have won the battle, but they have not won the war.

    “More defections are expected in the days ahead. After our rally/primary in Abakaliki, which attracted a crowd, they realise that they don’t have a good candidate for the election.”

    An aspirant, Senator Offia Nwali, has petitioned the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, decrying the primaries.

    Nwali described the delegates’ election congress as a selection exercise, as the delegates, who were not the candidates of the deputy governor, were removed.

    He said if nothing was done to correct the anomalies, PDP might lose in Ebonyi State.