Watching political
events unfold could be quite interesting even more interesting is the fact that such events could also trigger political misgiving “It’s quite sad that our political parties have become nonsensical platforms for politicians to jump in and out. It is also a known fact that politicians, under one form of excuse or the other engage in political prostitution. We need stringent legislation to check political prostitution in the polity and of course sanitise the system,” a commentator said recently, while reacting to spate of defections by politicians. This reaction will not enjoy the flavour of some players in the system especially those that have lost out in the defection agenda. Come to think of it, to appreciate or disapprove defection also depends on which of the political divide one may be standing and defining.
Almost all the major political parties have tale of loss in the name of defection, and in such turn of events, the losing political party groans with dissatisfaction even as it castigates the defecting member (s) as a liability instead, while the benefiting party pop champagne and welcome the decampee (s) with standing or resounding ovation. Like life, politics (democracy) is a matter of choices and it is unpredictable the winner of the electoral race.
Interestingly, spate of defection assumes greater dimension when ‘something’ is at stake or at the twilight of elections. Some examples of defection will shade light on the characters of Nigerian politicians and what this trend portend in democratic growth of the polity. Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the Ideato-born politician was in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His popularity was without measure. Twice Okorocha contested  PDP presidential primaries, and twice,  he lost the contests. Suddenly, Okorocha realised that “charity begins at home” and he returned home (Imo State) in 2007 to test popularity at the gubernatorial election of the state, dumping PDP for All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
PDP not only lost Okorocha but also Imo State under incumbent Ikedi Ohakim who rode to Government House, Owerri under the platform of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) but midway into his tenure, defected to PDP, attributing the move to what he called “overbearing influence by ex-Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State, the founder of PPA”.
Not long, Okoorocha’s political profile suffered summersault when he abandoned APGA-the party that brought him to Imo Government House and opted for All Progressives Congress on the excuse that ‘the South East geo-political region has no future in PDP and APGA’, a claim critics described as is irrational and preposterous.
Okorocha was rather alleged of working against the interest of the South East by his fraternity with the North and South West. But what remains to be seen is whether he would actualise his rumoured vice presidential ambition under APC.
At the August 2013 convention of PDP at Eagle Square Abuja’ a splinter group under the code-name of New PDP emerged.  After months of bickering, the splinter group led by Abubakar Baraje merged with APC purported claim to rescue our fledgling democracy and the nation”.
Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State and Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, made the list of G-5 PDP governors out of G-7 that moved into APC. But governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger State) and Sule Lamido (Jigawa State) respectively did not cross over to APC, despite initial ‘garagara’. Is that betrayal?
Be that as it may, while APC counted the defection as a plus, the Coalition to Save Nigeria (CSN) said “the move should not be taken as victory as their decision to dump PDP was more for political survival than for ideological affinity”. PDP, in her reaction, said the defection would not amount to loss to the party but would afford PDP an opportunity to be re-focused ahead of 2015 elections, describing the merger as a ‘marriage of strange bedfellows’ but hopeful of their return to PDP fold.
Whether the merger can be seen a political miscalculation, the earliest casualty of the movement was Nyako who had since been shoveled into the dustbin of history following his impeachment by the Adamawa State Assembly. The defection was also instrumental to series of political ripples at the National Assembly that almost marred plenary sessions but for the integrity, maturity and amiable disposition of the legislative houses leadership.
Olusegun Mimiko was a minister under PDP-led administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo. He received a warm handshake from Uncle Sege when the ministerial job was taken away from him, but when vacancy existed at the Ondo State Government House, the former minister offered himself for service under PDP but was refused to run. Mimiko walked away from PDP camp with head unbowed into the camp of Labour Party (LP) where he was offered the governorship ticket free of charge. He stood tall in the poll as he defeated both the PDP candidate and his ACN counterpart. Today, Labour Party is in the firm gripe of Ondo State. To Mimiko, the gain of defection can better be appreciated in the adage that “when one door closes, another opens”.
At Ekiti State, Opayemi Bamidele, member of House of Representatives under APC shunned every pressure and entreaties from the party to discourage him from contesting against Governor Kayode Fayemi. Bamidele, with the strength of character and courage shoveled APC aside and got LP ticket on a platter of gold. Though Bamidele lost in the gubernatorial race with a-third distant position, observers said he may have expressed joy when the APC candidate and incumbent governor, Fayemi was also beaten by the PDP candidate, Ayo Fayese. Mimiko was lucky to have gained from defection’ Bamidele was however, not.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is reputed to have had a gale of defections in and out of different political parties since the inception of this democratic dispensation. Atiku is a foundation member of PDP. His towering political profile was overwhelming, and not surprising that PDP offered him the vice presidential ticket. Mid way into President Olusegun Obasanjo second tenure, Atiku started eyeing his master’s job and that caused him his political future.
In 2007, Atiku succumbed to political pressure as he abandoned his PDP for ACN where he contested the presidential election against Umaru Musa Ya’Adua and lost. Prior to 2011 presidential poll, Atiku made a U-turn to PDP where he was granted a waiver before contesting the PDP presidential primaries against Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Again, Atiku lost. Since then, political observers say Atiku has been anything but happy. His eventual defection to the opponent (APC) was long predicted.
Back to ImoState. multi-billionaire politician, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume took the state in 2007 by storm when he opted to go for Government House job. But his party, PDP, gave him a red card because of allegedly having unclean hands. Dissatisfied, Ararume approached the court to reclaim his denied victory at the party primaries. Even when the court favoured him in its ruling, the power-that-be in PDP stood between him and success. In protest, Ararume defected to Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN now APC), but it was too late for any action and the intrigues paved the way for Ohakim to cruise to Government House. Today, Ararume has returned to PDP and there are strong indications that Ararume is in for Imo governorship race with renewed vigor.
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is no debutant in politics. He was the 2011 presidential candidate of ACN, the forerunner of the APC. Since then, Ribadu had been a key Apostle of APC until recently when he defected to the ruling PDP and ready to vie for honours in the governorship primaries of Adamawa State. As a step towards realising his political dream, Ribadu has picked up the PDP Expression of Interest Form and has applied for a waiver.
Contrary to insinuations, Ribadu through his spokesman, Abddulaziz Abdulaziz defended his defection to PDP, saying that the move was not borne out of his desperation to realise his political ambition but was based on his patriotic zeal to serve the country and her people. We hear you, Ribadu!
And in recent posting on the social media, Ribadu reportedly said “the APC does not have what it takes to change Nigeria and any ambition driven by grievance, bitterness and vendetta cannot be said to posses any element of change. It is only a matter of time and Nigerians will know who truly love them”.
Some Nigerians have since dismissed Ribadu’s reason for dumping APC ahead of 2015 elections for PDP after working assiduously to woo the five PDP governors to APC to boost its electoral chances. A school of thought believes that “ It is either Ribadu is pursuing something or something is pursuing him.”
It may be difficult to predict the hearts of men especially in the area of game changing. But the missing link in all game changing practices remain that socio-political decisions are usually taken not with the best intentions but what the decision taker stands to gain at the long run. In sincerity, change practice involves intention seen as a commodity or product that must be packaged for commercial purposes. Consulting widely is part of the strategy to package the decision and give it high element of acceptability by the people.
Only recently, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal held a close-door meeting with former President Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State. That consultation is pregnant with meaning. The indication that Tambuwal, will defect after his nationwide consultation, is strong. After collecting his permanent voter card, Tambuwal, in response to a question of possible defection, spoke in Hausa “kenwa ni tsuntsu kukan gidan su yaki yi” meaning “birds of the same feather flock together”.
Every politics is local, and as Tambuwal spokesman, Iman Iman said, “It is the needs and aspiration of your locality that determine the direction of your own politics”. Unfortunately fair weather politics otherwise known as ‘politics of the stomach’ will not allow one to determine the direction of politics for service. Put differently, the unkempt nature of mechanics becloud the sense of knowing the mentally –derailed in the society. The discount in Nigerian democracy is high premium on fair weather politics.
On February 8, 2014, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the former sports minister, secretly registered as a card carrying member of APC in Kwara State.  But the secret deal was soon blown up. Not long after, Abdullahi was identified as APC mole in Jonathan’s cabinet and sacked. About five months after that secret registration for APC, Abdullahi made public declaration for the party on July 31, 2014.
Just as the list of political decampees is in exhaustible and likely to increase as the 2015 elections get underway, so is the causality figure of political miscalculations. It may sound absurd to hear that “most politicians in Nigeria do not have principles or they do not believe in the party they belong to and therefore change parties anyhow”.
Defection happens across the world, but Nigerian-born Major of the London Borough of Lambeth, Mr Adedamola Aminu, says “the rate of defections in Nigeria is too high that you don’t know what a politician stands for”.
Aminu’s agony and indeed well-meaning Nigerians is that “people join political party based on what they can get (money or position) and not what the party stands for” in the life of the citizenry. Aminu may have wished Nigeria luck in her era of defections, but the nation and her citizens will need more than luck to get the dividends of democracy.

Samuel Eleonu

Former EFCC Chairman,Malam Nuhu Ribadu (right) declaring his intention to contest for Adamawa Governorship election on PDP platform in Yola last Saturday, while Adamawa State Secretary of PDP, Mr Shehu Tahir looks on.