New Telegraph

Defections: Nigeria’s descent to ‘one-party state’

The gale of defections that hit the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) portends danger to Nigerian democracy, as this is gradually leading Nigeria to a one-party state. ONYEKACHI EZE, CHUKWU DAVID and PHILLIP NYAM write

 

 

It was like a carnival of some sort. Despite the killings, attacks by bandits and general insecurity, Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, played host to unusual visitors. About 11 governors from the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by the Chairman of the party’s Extraordinary Convention planning Caretaker Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni, attended the ceremony.

 

The event was the formal defection of the state governor, Bello Matawelle from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC, despite his earlier vow never to dump the party on whose platform he rose to office. President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha said the defection was as a result of APC’s “impressive performance record and commitment to good governance.”

 

Matawelle was the third PDP governor to join the ruling party in less than one year. Before him, Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi defected late last year while his Cross River State counterpart, Prof. Ben Ayade joined about two months ago. At the moment, APC has 22 state governors, PDP, 13 while the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has one.

The rumour making the round is that two more PDP governors are likely to join the ruling party. The three parties maintained the same number of states in 2015 when APC formed the central government. But with the loss of three states – Kogi, Ekiti and Ondo during off season elections, the number of PDP depleted to 10 while APC climbed to 25.

The status quo was again maintained before the 2019 general election when Benue, Kwara and Sokoto states returned to PDP. The 2019 election presented some interesting surprises.

Though PDP lost Kwara and Gombe states to the APC, the party won Bauchi, Adamawa, Oyo and Imo states. The party also won Zamfara following the disqualification of APC from participating in the election by the Supreme Court, due to its flawed primary election where the party’s candidate emerged. Imo was later to go to APC via judicial intervention.

Except Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki who left APC to PDP when he was denied return ticket in last year’s Edo governorship election, no governor from the ruling party has joined the opposition.

Defections in the Senate

 

Senators on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Senate after the 2019 general elections were 44, while the ruling APC had 64 members, and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) had just one member.

 

Later in 2020, the PDP reduced to 43, when Senator Ishaku Elisha Cliff (Adamawa North), defected to the ruling Party. However, in a seeming ongoing defection Tsunami in the Senate Caucus of the PDP, the major opposition’s numerical strength is depleting drastically, while that of the APC is appreciating. Within one week, four members of the PDP have defected to the APC and there are possibilities that more may defect.

 

The lawmakers in their separate letters to the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, between Tuesday and Wednesday, which he read on the floor, claimed that their decision was provoked by internal crisis, tyranny and leadership failure within the PDP.

The lawmakers who defected are: Senators Sahabi Ya’u (Zamfara North);  Lawali Hassan Anka (Zamfara West) and the Senator representing Zamfara Central, Mohammad Gusau. Until his defection, Ya’u was the Senate Deputy Minority Whip.

 

With his defection, he has automatically lost the office, which the Senate Minority Caucus will fill after due consultation with the Party hierarchy. Deputy Chairman, Committee on Senate Services, Lawali Hassan Anka (Zamfara West), on his part, said that his defection was informed by the crises in the Zamfara state chapter of the PDP.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee on Niger Delta, Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta North), had Thursday last week, defected from the PDP to the APC.

 

He also formally notified the Senate on Wednesday in a letter to the President of the Senate. Just like others, Nwaoboshi claimed that his decision to resign from the PDP was due to the implosion within the party, accusing the leadership of the party of fostering tyranny, arbitrariness and intolerance.

 

Similarly, Senator Stephen Odey, representing Cross River North Senatorial District, is also said to be waiting for the appropriate time to formally quit the opposition Party and join the APC   With the current development, the PDP now has 39 members, APC, 69 members and YPP retains its lone membership. But if Odey eventually defects, the PDP will be left with 38, APC, 70 and YPP, one.

 

Defections in the House of Reps

 

The history of defection in the 9th House started with the current Minister of State for Education, Hon. Emeka Nwajuiba, who dumped Accord Party on July 24, 2019, for the APC shortly after he was nominated as a minister by President Buhari. Since then, at least 19 lawmakers have abandoned their initial parties to join the ruling APC.

 

The defections have happened for about 14 times. On 13th February, 2020, Hon. Pascal Obi and Hon. Kingsley Uju both elected on the platform of the Action Alliance (AA) from Imo State defected to the APC after Hon. Emeka Ihedioha was sacked and Senator Hope Uzodinma was declared governor of the state.

 

Former Speaker, Yakubu Dogara surprised many when his return to the APC from the PDP for the second time was suddenly announced on July 26, 2020. On September 18, 2020, Hon. Chisom Dike representing Eleme, Tai Oyigbo and Etche Federal Constituency of Rivers dumped the PDP for the APC.

 

The defections continued on October 7, 2020 when Hon. Ephraim Nwuzie representing Omuma Federal Constituency of Rivers State left the PDP for APC together with Hon. David Abel representing Gashaku/Kurmi/ Sardauna Federal Constituency of Taraba State who also dumped PDP for APC.

 

On October 17, 2020, Hon. Kolawole Lawal elected on the platform of Allied Peoples Movement (APM) representing Egbado/Ipoku Federal Constituency of Ogun State abandoned the party for the APC. In December, 2020, four defections took place in the House.

 

Hon. Herman Hembe representing Vandeikya/ Konshisha Federal Constituency of Benue State was the first to defect as he left the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and joined the APC on December 8. Hon. Aliyu Datti Yako (PDP, Kano), who defeated Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin in a rerun elections dumped the PDP for the APC just as Hon. Shiddi Usman Danjuma (ÀPGA, Taraba) dumped his party for the APC.

 

The next day, December 16, 2020, Hon. Tajudeen Adefisoye representing Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency of Ondo State on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) defected to the APC. Hon. Sam Onuigbo representing Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency of Abia State on the platform of  PDP also abandoned the opposition party on December 17 for the APC. Daughter of former Senate President, David Mark, Hon. Blessing Onuh opened the floodgate of defection in the New Year when she dumped APGA for the APC. Also, Hon. Yakubu Abdullahi elected on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) from Bauchi also joined Dogara in the APC.

 

On March 17, 2021, Hon. Jimoh Aremu Olaifa elected on the platform of Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) from Ogun State abandoned the platform for APC. With the defection of Governor Ayade of Cross River to the APC, his representative in the House, Hon. Legor Idagbo dumped the PDP to team up with him in the APC.

 

Similarly, another close ally of the governor, Hon. Mike Etaba (Cross River) also abandoned the PDP to join the APC. The latest defection took place on June 30, 2021 with Hon. Sani Dan-Galadima leaving the PDP to join Governor Mutawalle in the APC.

 

PDP in quandary

 

But did Matawelle, the other PDP governors, Senators and Rep members “voluntarily” join APC? The party’s National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus did not think so. He said at a press conference that the ruling party was intimidating PDP governors to join the APC.

 

 

The defection did not sit well with Secondus who stated that the defectors were intimated by the instrument of this government, but was happy that the masses in their states especially in Zamfara, did not decamp with him.

 

“Let me also emphasise that APC governors and government of APC are overbearing on the system and moving to poach our governors.

 

This to them is regarded as an achievement. I have never seen where you have economic crises (and) insecurity, then the ruling party goes, poaching governors. “They are going after our governors but we are going after the masses of this country.

 

The governors have one vote but we are after the people, the masses, the people who are suffering under this government.” Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike agreed also that PDP governors were being intimidated to join the ruling party. Wike said in Port Harcourt the day Matawelle joined the ruling party, that the APC-led government was blackmailing and coercing some PDP governors and members to join the party.

 

“People who could not win ordinary election are defecting. The party used technicality and went to court and got victory. Now, they say they are leaving the party, hopeless and shameless human beings; people who have no conscience.

“Bring everything you have against me, I will not join you. Rivers State will not join you. Even if it is only Rivers State that remains in this country, we will continue to be PDP.”

 

Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) also described the defectors as highly unprincipled people and opportunists who want to remain relevant at all cost.

 

Sagay, a member of APC, told a news medium that he was displeased with the APC for ac¬cepting PDP governors. He wondered why a gov¬ernor who has contested and won election as a PDP man should cross over to APC. “That is an affront on the majority of vot¬ers who voted for him.

 

For me, it is a very bad situation and it is not good for the image of the APC. “On each occasion, oppor¬tunism will carry the day, the people who have gone out to cast their votes will be terribly disappointed with such devel¬opments,”

 

Sagay said. Defection or carpet-crossing appeared to have been included in the nation’s political lexicon. Since it was introduced in the Nigeria politics in the first republic, there have been uncontrolled movement of politicians from one political party to another.

 

Few, if any, politician in this present dispensation can claim he or she  has remained with the same political party in the last 20 years.

 

The American based International Republican Institute (IRI) blamed this on lack of ideology. IRI noted in a report released prior to the 2019 presidential election that “Because of the country’s tribal, religious and geographic divide, political parties are driven by personalities as opposed to ideologies.”

 

Unlike the United States where political parties are defined by their platforms, or manifestoes, Nigerian politics is “personality- driven and lacking internal democracy.

Emerging political alliances are based mostly on personalities and agreements among political leaders, and do not necessarily reflect differences in policy preference or ideology.

 

Aside lack of ideology, political interest, the ambition and quest for survival, also come to play.

 

The recent defections of PDP members were more of “survivalist” tactic than their interest in the ruling party. PDP’s use of the word “coercion” on the governors by the ruling party before their defection, speaks volume.

 

PDP is not taking Governor Matawelle’s defection with levity. Unlike the other defections, the party said it would test its validity in court, as it believes it has enough reasons to challenge it.

Among these reasons is the circumstance that brought the governor to office. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Matawelle was holding Zamfara State governorship mandate on trust for the party, and therefore, has no right to defect with it to the APC.

 

He said: “A combined reading of Section 221 of the 1999 Constitution as the pronouncements of the Supreme Court in Faleke v. INEC (2016) is clear in holding that it is the political party that stands for election, that votes scored in election belong to the political party and that the candidate nominated to contest at an election by his party, acts only as the agent of his party.”

 

 

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