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Analysis… As gale of defections hit National Assembly

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Senator Ken Nnamani, Nigeria’s former Senate President, stirred the polity on Sunday with his high profile defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)  from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In doing so, he spared no words in characterizing the once vibrant PDP as a dead party.

Many have queried his motives for dumping the PDP. But Nnamani is not alone. Nigeria’s political space is littered with many of the likes of Nnamani as the foregoing analysis shows.

Defections from one political party to another in Nigeria, is as old as the country itself. Before Nigeria’s independence in 1960, political gladiators have always jumped ship and the trend has not changed, more than half a century later.

Since 1999, however, when Nigeria returned to democracy, the gale of defection by Nigerian politicians, has reached a crescendo. Sadly, there is no end in sight to the practice, despite Nigeria’s laws which prohibit defection from one political party to another.

Section 68 (1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution stipulates that “A member of the Senate or the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party; he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected; provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.”

Since 1999 as well, political juggernauts, like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, late Chuba Okadigbo, governors, Senators, House of Representatives’ members, local government chairmen and even councilors, have defected from one political party to another.

In 2014, during a national convention organized by the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), five sitting state governors, namely, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto and Murtala Nyako Adamawa, formed what was later referred to as New PDP and later dumped it for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Many have queried his motives for dumping the PDP. But Nnamani is not alone. Nigeria’s political space is littered with many of the likes of Nnamani

The 2014 defection of five sitting governors is still regarded as one of the biggest in our recent political history. In the National Assembly, however, there is a new wave of defection sweeping across both chambers. Despite the biting economic hardship, occasioned by the current economic recession, the PDP is being deflated daily, while APC swells up by the minute.

The defection of five sitting governors to APC, was preceded by a similar major cross carpeting of twenty two Senators. They were Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central), Bello Gwarzo (Kano North), Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), Senator Magnus Abe (River South-east), Wilson Ake (Rivers West), Senator Shaba Lafiagi (Kwara North), Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central), Aisha Alhassan (Taraba North), Ali Ndume (Borno South), Ahmed Zannah (Borno Central) and Simeon Ajibola (Kwara South).

Others were Bindowo Jubrilla (Adamawa North), Abdulaziz Usman (Jigawa North-east), Danladi Sankara (Jigawa North-west)), Abdulmumuni Hassan (Jigawa South-west), Hassan Barata (Adamawa South), Umaru Dahiru (Sokoto South), Ahmad Maccido (Sokoto North), Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto East), Garba Mohammed (Kano Central), Isa Galaudu (Kebbi North) and Ahmed Alkali (Gombe North).

In the House of Representatives within the same period, thirty seven members defected from the PDP to APC. The lawmakers who defected then were Nasir G. Sule, Ahmad A. Zarewa, Aliyu Sani Madaki, Bashir Babale, Alhassan Ado, Munir Dan’ Agundi, Aminu Suleiman, Abudulmumin Jibrin, Musa Ado, Musthapha Bala and Mukthari Mohammed.

Read also: After appointment by Buhari, ex-Senate President Nnamani dumps PDP for APC

Others were Kabiru Marafa Achida, Aminu Shagari, Isa Salihipu Bashir, Abdulahi Mohammed Wamako, Saadu Nabunkari, Aliyu Shehu, Shuaibu Gobir, Musa Sarkin-Adar , Abdullahi Balarabe and Umar Bature.

Andrew Uchendu, Asita Honourable, Sokonte Davies, Dakuku Peterside, Mpigi Barinada, Pronen Maurice, Dawari George, Ogbonna Nwuke, Ali Ahmad, Rafiu Ibrahim Adebayo, Aiyedun Akeem Olayinka, Mustafa Moshood, Aliyu Ahman- Pategi and Zakari Mohammed also defected. Two other members, Nasiru Sani from Katsina State and Yakubu Dogara from Bauchi, were also on the list.

In the Eight National Assembly, PDP’s losing streak continues. In late May of 2016, Tony Nwoye from Anambra and Udende Emmanuel from Benue, declared their intention to defect to the APC. Though the PDP had threatened to institute a court case against the decampees, in order to regain the party’s mandate, no case was ever brought against them.

More trouble still looms for the opposition PDP. Members, especially from the South Eastern flank of the country, are planning to dump the party for the ruling APC. Five lawmakers from Imo State who are current members of the Eight House of Representatives, may soon dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

As part of last minute moves to finalize the defection, about four members, out of the current eight PDP members from Imo State, five have indicated interest to dump the party for the APC. Hon. Raphael Nnanna Igbokwe, who doubles as the caucus chairman of Imo lawmakers in the Green Chamber and also plotting to defect to APC, recently told Ripples Nigeria that there is nothing wrong with defection. Although he did not confirm or deny the claims, he, however, maintained that since the PDP was in disarray, it was safe for anyone to ditch the party.

He had said: “There is nothing wrong with defection if it becomes necessary. When you are in a house divided against itself or cannot protect you, there may be nothing wrong if you move into another house that can give you protection.

“Lawmakers from the state have decided to look at the interest of the state and not that of political parties. We need to work with the government in the state in order to attract infrastructure to the state. What is critical for us is the development of the state.

Observers of the Nigerian political space, while admitting that the nation’s democratic culture is yet immature, however, hold that the spate of defections is essentially driven by selfishness and greed for the many who see politics not as a call to service but an invitation to ‘come and chop’ or garner ‘stomach infrastructure’ as made popular by Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State.

“Every politics is local. If it becomes expedient, there is nothing wrong if a politician defects to another party that serves his or her interest. Imo state is a peculiar case. A certain man who contested election and lost is now openly boasting that he will frustrate us. He is talking as if he is God.

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“Yakubu Dogara was formerly in the PDP, today, he is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Bukola Saraki was governor for eight years on the platform of PDP. Today, he is the Senate President on the platform of APC”, he narrated.

On November 30th, 2016, Senators elected on the platform of PDP, staged a walk out to protest the ‘illegal’ defection of Senator Yere Omogunwa from Ondo South to the APC.

Their protest followed a letter read on the floor of the Senate, which had stated that Senator Omogunwa had defected from the PDP to the ruling APC.

The PDP was yet to recover from the shocking defection, when another scribe from the party in the Red Chamber announced his defection last Thursday. Senator Nelson Effiong, who represents Akwa Ibom South in the Senate, said the intractable crisis in the PDP necessitated his defection to APC.

“I have decided that no reasonable politician who is worth his onions would remain in PDP and allow his people to be drifting about without a direction. So I have decided today (yesterday), the 19th day of January, 2017, to resign from the PDP and move to the party that is bringing peace and direction to this country, the APC,” the lawmaker had announced.

Like previous threats, the PDP Caucus in the Senate, headed by Senator Godswill Akpabio, has vowed to reclaim the mandate of the decamped lawmaker.

There are still fears that more PDP lawmakers, cashing in on the crisis in the PDP, may soon dump the party for the APC in the coming months. Sadly, the party, as it stands now, lacks the technical-know-how to stop the tsunami rocking its fold, as it is still battling to resolve its leadership crisis.

Observers of the Nigerian political space, while admitting that the nation’s democratic culture is yet immature, however, hold that the spate of defections is essentially driven by selfishness and greed for the many who see politics not as a call to service but an invitation to ‘come and chop’ or garner ‘stomach infrastructure’ as made popular by Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State.

 

 

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0 Comments

  1. Margret Dickson

    January 23, 2017 at 9:34 am

    The lawmakers are also politicians who have interests. If a political party can no longer protect your interest, it is fair to cross to another political party that has all it takes to protect you and what you believe in.

    • chichi emerue

      January 23, 2017 at 11:33 am

      I hope you are not referring to PDP because the way you sound tells me you are referring to PDP,not to worry very so APC will make this country hotter than the way it is !

  2. JOHNSON PETER

    January 23, 2017 at 9:36 am

    I think am happy about the defection in the national assembly. If apc must survive at the presidency level, they need about 80 senators in the senate, and 200 house of reps members so policies and bills can be passed smoothly without no strong opposition.

    • seyi jelili

      January 23, 2017 at 12:44 pm

      You are wrong. For democracy to survive, strong opposition must be there to serve as watch dogs to the party in power. If it happens the way you say it, then ,it is not a multi party system again but Apc dominated national assembly

  3. Animashaun Ayodeji

    January 23, 2017 at 9:39 am

    It has been well stipulated in the constitution that if any lawmaker sponsored by a political party moves to another party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected, will vacate his seat. For a senator to want to leave his post to be an ordinary member, he/she must be very sure that the party he’s leaving has lost all necessary credibility. This is very true about PDP, as far as i am concerned, the party has lost their credibility, 2019 is not looking good for them also

  4. Johnson Amadi

    January 23, 2017 at 9:52 am

    Well, it is good they are all crossing to APC, this is a sign that 2019 will be great again. The PDP should keep fighting and making noise in the media, we will happily accept their politicians in APC where there’s hope and security for all, that is why APC is more credible and better than PDP. We have our own crisis in APC too, but we won’t stoop so low to go to the media about it. PDP should learn from us.

    • Amarachi Okoye

      January 23, 2017 at 11:01 am

      If there is anybody to learn. it should be the APC not PDP because APC has cause so much pain in this country and need to get ride of,not the PDP

  5. Roland Uchendu Pele

    January 23, 2017 at 10:51 am

    “Yakubu Dogara was formerly in the PDP, today, he is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Bukola Saraki was governor for eight years on the platform of PDP. Today, he is the Senate President on the platform of APC”

    The custodians of the law never keep the law. It is as though some citizens are bigger than the law in Nigeria. This, is what has been our problems since 1960.

    • Amaka Okoro

      January 23, 2017 at 11:19 am

      Nigeria are in serious problem all we need is to be in one peace and unity not a divided house but one mind that will make this country a better place to be

  6. Balarabe musa

    January 23, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    Cross carpeting is not a new thing again in Nigeria politics. What I want us to kick against is second term for any political office holder. We should not allow a past governor to contest and win in the senate again. In a nutshell, no one should govern twice again no matter how good they portray themselves.

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