OF a truth, I have never been comfortable with political defectors. And never will I be. Their antics and style make me sick. Like wind, they lack specific directions. Their forth and back and then back and forth movements constitute a blight on ideological politics. They should not be celebrated, but instead they deserve to be treated with contempt and despised.
Ed Miliband, who led the British Labour Party for so many years resigned last week because his party was trounced by the Conservatives in a recent election. He said his resignation would pave way for a new leadership that may inject fresh ideas in preparation for future elections.
Nigerian born British Member of Parliament Mr. Chuka Umuna has been tipped to succeed Ed Miliband. He has the backing of former Prime Minister, Tony Blair who feels that Umuna’s pro-business philosophy is what Labour Party needs to bounce back.
And Chuka Umuna is optimistic that Labour would bounce back earlier than expected. He told party stakeholders that Labour needs to reposition itself to be able to capture 10 Dawning Street, the official seat of government.
His words “Some have in recent days now suggested that it is a ten year project to get the party back into power. I don’t think we should have any truck with that, I think Labour can do it in 5 years. I want to lead that effort as part of a really big Labour team getting Labour back to office and building a fairer and more equal society. That is WHY WE JOINED Labour Party in the first place” (emphasis mine).
Umuna’s reason for joining the LP was to be a part of a team for building a “fairer and more equal society.”
What is the motive of Nigerian politicians? Why are they into politics? Of course we need politicians to drive democracy. Without politicians, we inevitably invite the military.
No British Labour Party member is going to deflect to the Conservative Party because his party lost in the recent election. He remains where he is and offers ideas as member of a larger team working for a brighter future.
The same cannot be said of the Nigerian politician who feels that if he is not in the limelight, he is finished.
It will be recalled that shortly after the recently concluded presidential election which produced Gen. Buhari as winner, there was mass defection of top PDP bigwigs into the APC. It was so nauseating that the APC national body came out with a strong statement asking defectors to remain where they are and build formidable opposition.
If APC is able to sustain this stance on political prostitutes, the party would have gone a long way in injecting sanity into our political behaviour and by extension deepening the democratic culture.
Politicians who are in a hurry to defect, (because they have no other job) have a lot to learn from the Buhari experience. Here is a man that remained in opposition for 16 years, lost three consecutive elections and yet remained undeterred, Driven by his own convictions he continued to push forward, then along the line he embraced the idea of joining forces with other teams of similar convictions. This provided for him a broader perspective and the much needed cross-cultural mobilization platform for electoral gains.
If Gen. Buhari was that “hungry” and ‘cheap’ the PDP would have simply swallowed him up with big oil contracts. Because he knew what he wanted and how he wants Nigeria to be a part of a progressive humanity, he decided to pay the price that is so rare in our clime. His unmatchable integrity and profound ideological convictions were too strong for PDP to penetrate.
Nigerians are no fools. That is why despite the terrible propaganda against him, they were encouraged by his consistency and perseverance and had no other choice than to vote change, which he represents.
Many of those who defected from PDP to APC shortly after Buhari was declared winner are well known to Nigerians. They are gold diggers. They have no convictions and they lack integrity.
It is refreshing therefore, that APC has shut its doors against them. They are liabilities, looking for Board and ministerial appointments. And for those not seeking for appointments, they simply want their business interests to be protected. There is nothing more than that.
A top politician here in Edo State who defected from PDP to APC shortly after the presidential election, lost in his polling booth in the April 11 House of Assembly polls, is that not a liability?
I don’t see what value a rejected politician can add to another party – a politician who lost election because of his poor performance. What value do the PDP defectors think they can add to APC?
Rather than sit back and take a deep retrospective study of events of the past 16 years and then plan ahead, these defectors are feigning a new loyalty to the victorious party – just because they want to remain relevant and continue to “feast on the nation’s cake. Unfortunately, they are mis-reading Buhari. They think it is business as usual.
We need two strong political parties like the U.S. and British model. Democracy is strengthened and the people are the beneficiaries. APC has taken the right decision by shuting its doors and we only hope PDP defectors will understand the weight of that language.