DEFECTIONS: WHAT HOPE

tions. A popular sports commentator, late Ernest Okoronkwo’s words are relevant in this circumstance. He said: “when spectators cheer their team before a goal was scored, they have acted to motivate players to victory but those who clap and dance after a player scored a goal are merely responding to an impulse, with no value added”. Indeed some of the later day defectors to APC may not add value to the chain but could be potential trouble makers.

With more politicians expected to move in droves from the PDP to APC in the days ahead, what is now agitating the minds of political analysts is the likely implication of the gale of defections on the quest for a virile democratic environment. How will the PDP and other parties survive in order to continue to play their vital role in acting as checks to the possible excesses of the in-coming ruling party, APC? It is interesting seeing how PDP as former largest party in Africa will readjust its act to playing the role of an opposition party after May 29 handover of government to APC. One of the key elements of democracy is the provision for checks and balances in the system as is represented by the principle of separation of powers. In this case, the three different arms of government exist and act as checks on each other for the benefit of the people. But where one party controls the executive arm of government and dominate the legislature, the capacity of the system to check itself becomes greatly impaired. From the list of confirmed results of the last National Assembly election, it appears the country is once again headed for a similar experience it had in the last 16 years where the ruling party holds majority seats in both chambers of the National Assembly. The result of the Senatorial contest showed that APC which is expected to form the next government at the centre, had also already garnered about 64 senate seats out of the 109 seats. The party has also secured majority of the seats in the House of Representatives.

Beyond the euphoria of victory and the resultant wave of defections, the APC may soon begin to face the challenges of success and may be confronted with similar problems that brought the PDP almost to its kneels before the just concluded general elections.

APC leadership of the party is also worried about the defection of PDP members into its fold. The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, has expressed concern at level of defections, describing it as not good for Nigeria’s political development. According Oyegun, “Many opposition party members have defected to APC just because they lost out, that is not good for political development. One would have advised that opposition members should stay where they are, and form a formidable opposition party.” Oyegun’s posited is that most of these politicians may be defecting into the winning party due to selfish reasons. Rather than staying back in their former political parties to work harder and make it a formidable platform, he feels the defectors are running away to embrace the victorious party where they hope to benefit from government patronage.

However, the Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, one of the states PDP lost, has vowed to stay back in the party. Aliyu described those rushing out of the PDP on account of the electoral defeat as saboteurs and hungry politicians who are seeking personal gains.

But speaking on the victory of his party at the presidential polls and the gale of defections by politicians into APC, President- elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, said the party leadership should gear- up to the challenges of managing the influx of new members to ensure that they all get fair treatment. He is of the view that in a multi-party democratic system, fundamentally, it is the number that matters for the people. According to the President- elect, what matters is the ability to manage the number so that the majority will have its way.

“No matter what are the remnants from the PDP by May 29, I assure those coming in that there will be justice in APC. Those who were chief executives from local government, to states will be encouraged to work together. So, those that are coming in, I hope they will accept that they are coming to join those who succeeded and they should cooperate with them. They can’t come and say that because they were once Ministers under PDP, they will join APC and become ministers the following month or so. I don’t think that it will be acceptable even by their constituents.

“For those that are coming into the APC, I have no fear because we have our party structure. The fact that you were a party chairman or you were a minister before you joined the APC, we appreciate the fact that you remain relevant in your immediate locality”.

For the PDP, the road to recovery is learning to play active opposition role early in the life of the next administration. For the opposition party to remain relevant, it might need to gird up its loins and begin to set agenda for the in-coming ruling party by drawing attention to the promises made to the Nigerian people. The party should also engage in constructive criticisms and avoid the pitfalls of negative criticisms. It is only through this that it can win the hearts of the Nigerian people and once again worm its way back to power in the no distant time.