If there is anything that indicates the dearth of opposition politics in Nigeria, it is the gale of defections rocking the country’s political atmosphere. Recently,many politicians have defected to the ruling party,including the Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, former vice presidential running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and the whole structure of PDP in Delta State.
Prior to this development, the governor of Akwa Ibom, Umo Eno,stated that five PDP governors have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the second term. With this statement and his body language, Governor Umo Eno will soon ditch his party and join the ruling party. Since the waves of defection that rock the opposition party,particularly the PDP which was in power for 16 years before it was ousted in 2015, some political analysts and Nigerians are of the opinion that the country is poised for one party system.
Though, the presidency has denied the insinuation and ruled out any possibility of Nigeria drifting to one party state,it is disturbing that opposition parties have been severely fractured and are in state of disarray. Opposition parties play great role in the development of democracy. They serve as a watchdog, and check the excesses of the government in power. Besides,opposition parties also serve as an alternative to ruling party. If the ruling party performs below expectations,the electorate have an option to vote other political parties.
However,in Nigeria,politicians see political parties as vehicles to ascend to power. Even in power,these politicians view politics as a gravy train for wealth accumulation, rather than an avenue for service delivery. This is in sharp contrast to developed democracies where political parties and politicians are ideological based. It is very rare to see politicians rampantly moving in droves from one political party to another. But defection in Nigeria does not attract any sanctions despite the fact that political parties’ constitutions have spelt out penalties.
Little wonder they keep changing political parties like clothes in a wardrobe. To trust Nigeria politicians is at your own peril. They do not have an iota of shame. They will blame and chide a political party and defect to it the next day. While in politics,alignment and realignment of political forces are necessary, as the country inches to another circle of elections, defection is the last card these politicians can play to remain politically relevant.
While there are many reasons that lead to defection such as personal interest, injustice, intimidation and internal crisis,no political party is immune from one form of crisis or another. That is why,politicians who defected to new parties hardly stay long before they move to another.To minimise the high incidence of defection and stop the country from drifting to one party system,there is the need for multi-facet approach to address the root causes.
First, ensuring that party structures are democratic, inclusive, and transparent.Holding regular party congresses to allow members to participate in decision-making processes. Secondly, ensuring that nominations for elections are based on merit, rather than patronage or other factors. Thirdly, ensuring transparent selection process for candidates and fostering a strong sense of shared ideology and values among party members. Lastly, establishing mechanism for addressing grievances and concern within the party, and above all implementing programmes that reward loyalty and dedication to the party.
Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State
