Defection: Dangerous Trend That Must Be Checked

THERE is a serious malady today in Nigeria called political defection. Each time a political party loses an election you see a mass exodus from it and other parties to the winning party. Such attitude to party politics is unhealthy and it is not the right way forward. It portrays a people of little faith and shallow convictions and without much regard for noble principles. Though the trend dates back to the first republic, it is today assuming a more dangerous dimension of one party state with all its defects such as power arrogance, oppression, corruption, inefficiency in governance.
The journey to our current state today where an opposition party could defeat the ruling party was tedious. It is largely a product of competition which plurality allows. As the prospect of a one party state looms, it should be discouraged in the larger interest of the country. The fear is not new. About seven years ago I wrote a letter to an editor of a national newspaper to join in a debate on the possibility of the emergence of one political party in Nigeria following the controversial victory of the PDP that enthroned Alhaji Yara’Adua as president. I had argued that only the formation of a strong political party with nation -wide spread as the ruling party would save the situation.
Cries of rigging filled the air. Even the winner of that election-President Shehu Yar’Adua had admitted that it was heavily flawed. But instead of organizing against rigging and other forms of electoral fraud- say through the formation of a formidable political party to check excesses , the elite resorted to their cheap and harmful way of mass defection to the ruling party. The unwritten law seems to be JOIN THEM IF YOU CANNOT BE THEM as though we expect Angels from heaven to fix the country right for us.
My argument at that time was simple. Given the mushroom nature of other political parties, the Peoples’ Democratic Party was better placed than any other party to win any election in Nigeria whether through fair or crooked means. It had the men and women in all the states of the federation and thus more likely to meet the constitutional requirement to win the presidential election than any other party then in existence. In other words, any party that was intent on upturning the apple- carte must first enhance its size and presence in a nation-wide manner like the PDP.
In spite of this stark reality, until 2013 no serious move was made by the political elites to sink differences in the larger interest of the country to form a strong and virile political party that could compete effectively for political power with the ruling party. Instead everyone wanted to be covered by the PDP umbrella and so trooped under it and got stuck there as long as it held sway with political power.
Many factors helped in feathering the nest of the PDP for a long time. These include the greed of the Nigerian elites and their excessive love for power, the unwillingness of majority of the elites to stay outside government and make due sacrifice in the national interest. Mass poverty and illiteracy, poor knowledge including dearth of ideas and ideology in the country, other than money, most of the Nigerians elites are not enamoured with principles, high ideals, mores or political ideology . in other climes politicians are normally identified with some political philosophy or ideals
. The USA may serve as example here with its two main political parties which evolved from idealism and differing views of two leading figures in the administration of Washington namely Hamilton Secretary of Treasury and Jefferson secretary of state on the way forward for the country after its war of Independence. For instance Hamilton favored a strong federal authority to maintain law and order and peace while Jefferson wanted the state governments to have more powers to enable people guide their ‘natural rights to life, liberty and property.’ They were prepared to defend and sell their respective positions to the public because of their strong faith in their views. By 1796 when election was held to choose Washington’ successor, the population had been divided between supporters of Hamilton-Hamiltonians who later were known as the Federalists and supporters of Jefferson Jeffersonians-later known as republican -democrats .
Though president Washington had warned against the baneful and divisive effect of political parties and advocated for love of the country and protection of the constitution rather than loyalty to man, he could not stop the emerging evolution of party politics. Mark you the formation of political party was not written into the constitution and Washington was appointed by popular proclamation but the election of 1796 was fought and won on the basis of party- federalist v republican and it produced ADAMS a federalist as the 2nd president of the USA . Can America today do without a vibrant opposition political party ? The USA has been better off for it.
Let us stand for noble ideals and principles of good governance, It is not a sin to lose election. In fact winning and losing are part of the electoral process. The Labour Party in Britain suffered terrible set-back in the 1980s till Blair came on board as Prime Minister. In the USA the Democratic party was down in the cold till the advent of Bill Clinton as President in the 1990s. The lesson is not to jump boats at the slightest hiccup but to return to the drawing board, to review and re-strategize for fresh action. This is what is missing in Nigeria. The political elites lack the patience and strength to absorb the pains of defeat. Easily given to profanity, they want quick returns on investment, part of the political actions always, care little about quality service and its effect on society, have no strong political conviction and unprepared to make sacrifice in national interest by sitting in the limbo even for a while. They are men of little faith in their political party once out of power.
One of the results was that the APP which showed much promise in the elections of 1999 began to decline rapidly as a result of steady defection of its leading members to the ruling party thereby slowing down the emergence of strong opposition party in the country.
However the political architecture began to change in 2013 when a section of the Nigerian elites then members of small political parties namely the ACN,CPC,ANPP,APGA,AD made the right move towards forming a mega party. They seemed to have realized that political power and survival laid more in unity and readiness to make personal sacrifice in the larger national interest. They thus sank their differences in order to form strong opposition party known as the All Progressive Congress-APC. And within a year or so the party dislodged and swept the ruling party off the seat of power –a feat thought impossible seven years back. It shows the power of vision, organization, ability and dogged determination and commitment to noble ideal by like minds.
As indicated earlier, the emerging picture of the country is a product of the fertile imagination of some elites who shared a common vision of progress for the country and strong desire to win power in a democratic way. Left alone none of the parties that merged to form the APC had any chance or hope of winning a presidential election . As they say in Ishan a stick of broom does not sweep anything unless it is part of a bunch and one finger cannot lift a cutlass to work unless in unison with other fingers. It stresses the strength of unity and the importance of team work and cooperation. Hard work and determination have their reward. All it requires is time, patience , sacrifice, sincerity and devotion.
Upon the registration of APC in 2014, I had observed bright light in the dark tunnel of party politics with its then grim prospect of one party dominance. Better days laid ahead of the country as the prospect of one party system was being dimmed by the registration of the APC. I was happy to note in an Essay that gone were the days of arrogance of power in Nigeria when a political party could boast without qualms of ruling the country for the next sixty years in ‘the first instance’. Never again would a group sit in the comfort of their homes to allocate figures to contestants without counting votes, run a government of impunity without due check and civilized protest. For me it was a new dawn in party politics in Nigeria with the birth of the APC- party of great hope and promise that would change the way we do things for the better. But nothing in my wildest imagination suggested that success would come its way so soon-winning the presidency and majority of the national assembly seats, governors and to turn the ruling party into the opposition party. It is simply quaking.
There is indeed a season for everything. In the eyes of the electorate the PDP has had its fill. It ruled for 16 long years blotted by insecurity, corruption, unemployment, infrastructural decay and needs to rest to rethink its ways and perhaps re-strategize. The country needs a change- a breath of fresh air. Still Nigeria needs a strong opposition to grow and strengthen democracy for good governance. But what we have been seeing since March 28th 2015 when the presidential election was held, lost by the PDP and won by the APC is troubling. It has been a spate of defection to the APC at a rate so alarming that some had wondered aloud if the country was not descending to the primitive and autocratic level of one party.
Unwittingly we seem to working for a return to a de facto era of one party rule. Many are leaving the PDP in droves as though it is a crime to lose an election. Such desertion of the party is inimical to our democracy. It is a dangerous trend that should be discouraged. The APC cannot reject members but those in the defeated party should show greater faith, courage and pride. Let the culture of opposition party politics thrive, let it be deepened, Nigeria cannot afford to recede to that status of political arrogance and domineering as a result of the absence of a vibrant opposition party. Both the government and the country would be far better off with a vibrant opposition party to keep governance in appropriate mode, and offer the voter a plausible, alternative choice.
Time heals every wound. One of the lessons learnt from the 2015 General Elections is the coming of age of the Nigerian Voter who now knows how to punish failure and misrule and reward success and good governance. No government, political party or individual no matter how powerful can take him for granted again without having a broken nose as consequence. Here a strong opposition political party is a necessity in sustaining people power for desired results.