Democracy is unarguably characterized by
countless fantasies. Within the aforementioned leadership tool, several
intrigues and ripples don’t cease to transpire.
The weightiest among every feature embedded in
any democratic terrain is the freedom for both the politicos and the electorate
to freely express their feelings in any form as it pleases them.
The
funniest of all, particularly within the shores of the Nigerian system, is the
invariable incessant rate of defection otherwise regarded as ‘cross-carpeting’
being exercised by most political gladiators alongside their teeming allies.
It’s not anymore news that the
ceaseless practice called defection, which has abruptly become a norm among
partisan politicians, is mainly witnessed or usually on the rampage whenever
the country is about passing through yet another electioneering era.
The
above paragraph indicates that most of those party members who defect to other
platforms apparently do so solely to regain relevance especially when their
political status in the parent party is being battered or in shambles. It
suffices to assert that their primary motive is often to ensure they do not
have a tangible rival when seeking for a ticket that would grant them access to
vie for any position of their choice.
It is therefore needless to say, or
remind us, that cross-carpeting is currently in top gear across the federation
since we aren’t unaware that the impending 2019 general elections are fast
approaching just not unlike ocean breeze.
At
the moment, there’s virtually no day that passed, we wouldn’t hear that a
certain, or group of, political bigwig(s) has graciously left the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or vice-versa. In
some cases, such a few other major parties as the All Progressive Grand
Alliance (APGA) and the newly formed African Democratic Congress (ADC) are
equally favoured.
The melodrama has continued unabated till
penultimate week, precisely on Tuesday 24th July 2018, when the
unthinkable occurred. On that fateful day, which would always be remembered by
the Nigeria’s political history, 14 members of the Red Chamber of the National
Assembly (NASS) alongside 37 of their counterparts in the Green Chamber
announced their defection from the APC to the PDP.
Though the action of the lawmakers was
foresaw by some analysts and concerned democrats, the memory it left behind
would continue to be seen as a tsunami by most well-meaning members of the APC.
The event may have come and gone but its indelible footprints ought to
continually serve as a wakeup call for any political platform whose members are
not on the same page.
It’s noteworthy that this piece is informed
by the open declaration made by the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole in reaction to the massive defection carried out by the legislators.
In his nationwide speech immediately after the action was made public, the said
boss boldly, or perhaps inadvertently, asserted that the defectors were just
“political bigwigs who have no electoral value”.
That
declaration, which I have seen as comic, was unequivocally the least I expected
to hear from a leader like Oshiomhole. I wonder why he could describe the
gladiators who obviously helped the party to secure the presidential seat
during the 2015 polls as politicians that had no electoral value.
This is reminding me of the action taken by
the boss when some aggrieved members of the party led by Alhaji Buba Galadima
suddenly created a factional platform known as Reformed-APC (R-APC), which was
one of the fallouts of the party’s National Convention held recently in Abuja.
After forming the R-APC, Oshiomhole –
probably as was instigated by the party’s National Legal Adviser Mr. Babatunde
Ogala – stated that Galadima and his loyalists deserved to be prosecuted for
parading himself as a “factional chairman of the APC”.
It was so amusing that someone in such
position failed to realize when to deploy a sportsmanship approach. Oshiomhole
forgot that Galadima and his followers might decide to rebrand and register the
‘R-APC’ with any other name that wouldn’t be in conflict with the already
existing All Progressives Congress.
Of course, R-APC is just an acronym
that could be called anything as it pleases the bearers. In view of this fact, Oshiomhole’s
paramount concern would have focused on how to appease the aggrieved party
members rather than aggravating their venom.
On that of defection, the boss was meant
to admit that the APC had suffered a setback by the unfortunate step taken by
the 51 federal lawmakers. Even if I’m aware that he was ostensibly trying to
ensure that the remaining loyalists of the APC don’t lose confidence in the
party, there were other possible ways he could have made the statement instead
of calling the defectors ‘politicians without electoral value’.
Oshiomhole ought to comprehend that such
uncalled avowal might motivate other aggrieved members to follow suit, which
arguably wouldn’t augur well for the ruling party that’s making frantic effort
to retain power come 2019. Who knows if it wasn’t the declaration that made
Governor Samuel Ortom to eventually defect to the PDP despite the earlier
U-turn made by him?
Mr.
Oshiomhole may have been charismatic in his statement, but it’s really
compelling to acknowledge that such an avowal at such a critical time like this
is liable to cause the APC more troubles than good. Think about it!
Comrade FDN Nwaozor
National Coordinator,
Right Thinkers Movement
_________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador
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