Nigeria’s politics of defection and unprincipled politicians
Nigeria politics is anchored on one thing and that is platform, in which the actors use to ascend leadership positions. When the Peoples Democratic Party was in power and the ruling party in government, the party is the cynosure of any aspiring politician.
Now, the game is changing as we are approaching another election in less than one and half years, some elected politicians and those, who may aspire for elective office are changing gear to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Of recent, there is mass defection of elected representatives in both the State’s House of Assemblies, House of Representative and even the Senate. The excuses adduced by the defectors are lame ones.
What is clear is that the defectors in their vocabulary want to use the ruling party platform in order to have a shot again, as there is no clear cut ideology in the body frame of Nigeria political parties.
Quite recently, some legislators elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party dumped the former party they used to get elected for the All Progressives Congress.
In Adamawa State, the two legislators from Michika and Madagali axis dumped the party they stood for election. One was in the House of Representative and the other in the State House of Assembly. It is also the same with others from various states, who are dumping their party for the ruling party all in a bid to have a ticket for the 2019 election and get elected. What political analysts are saying is that both members had it not so easy. But because of the resolute and commitment of the people of the constituency, they stand behind their aspiration, that saw them at both Yola and Abuja.
Some people opined, that the legislators now dumping their parties mid way into another are doing so because they want to align with the ruling party possibly to get the ticket of the party in order to stand for another election and get a second term.
It is only in Nigeria, that the political parties and the political actors do not have ideology. It is because of lack of such ideology that made it possible for one, to see the kind of defection galore in both at the State Assemblies and the National Assembly and the unprincipled nature of the Nigerian politicians. The current wave of defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress is hinged on the belief and perception of the politicians, that they may get the ticket of the party and automatically get into seat courtesy of being in the ruling party.
It is ironical for the present day politicians to be defecting from, the party, that they stand for election and later without the consent of their constituency defect to another party especially the one in government.
The defection galore is much more prevalent in the northern states of the federation. In the region, ninety-nine percent of the politicians has no clear ideology in politics, but rather it is a leeway for them to ascend the mantle of leadership by hoodwinking the people with peanuts during election.
It is incumbent for the politicians to align to a political party based on the party’s ideology. There is no point in throwing away ideology and rely on just to get into leadership position in order to acquire wealth.
The same people who destroyed the country for sixteen years now congregated in the ruling APC and want to continue holding forte in government at every level from top to bottom.
That is the main reason why those who enjoy the crumbs in the PDP are daily making move to join the bandwagon in APC in their myopic thinking that it would be business as usual where the ticket of the APC would be given to the highest bidder.
The birds in the PDP before are now congregating in the APC so as to sway favour from the executives of the party in getting the ticket for 2019 election. This attitude being exhibited by the politicians cannot guaranteed us a durable political system, that is based on ideology.
Usman Santuraki, No2 Santuraki Close Jambutu, Jimeta-Yola ususanturaki37@ gmail.com