Following the recent wave of political defections and concerns of Nigeria sliding into a one-party state, a leader in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kassim Afegbua, and a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan have disagreed over assertions that opposition politicians are coerced into joining the ruling party.
During a radio programme, _Public Conscience_ , produced by the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG), on Wednesday in Abuja, Afegbua maintained that opposition politicians’ defections into the APC in droves were good for democracy.
He argued that the ruling APC is not coercing members of the PDP or other opposition parties to join its fold but has become attractive due to stable and seamless leadership transmission, and functioning internal party democracy.
He criticised the PDP for failing to play a viable opposition role, which, he said, has giving rise to the mass defections in the party.
He added that the PDP is plagued by faulty internal party democracy and the presence of ‘perennial aspirants’ who need to bury their ambitions for the party to move forward.
Afegbua said: ‘The defections to the APC are very fantastic.
‘We have 18 political parties participating in every election every time. Every party will want to swell their own rights by receiving defectors every now and then so that opportunities can be widened and prospects of winning elections will be enhanced’.
On what is attracting politicians to the APC, Afegbua said: ‘There is no coercion, rather PDP is not able to put its house in order; There is a seamless transition of power in the APC without factional stories. They (PDP) are not even able to organise a convention to choose leadership.
‘Look at a major opposition party, it is not even able to articulate critical alternative viewpoints that will help to put the APC in check. APC does not want to be a one-party state; APC wants to hear critical ideas that will help to propose solutions to the problems we have in the country’.
Afegbua dismissed plans by the main opposition party to challenge the defections of some of its members in court, taunting the party to await more defections.
Earlier, Ologbondiyan said that the PDP is concerned by the defections, adding that more disturbing is the blackmailing and coercion of political office holders in the party and some members to join the ruling APC.
He noted that the mass defections rocking the PDP are necessitated by several factors, including internal party crisis, adding that the party is making efforts to resolve its challenges.
He agreed that the biggest challenge to democracy and elections in Nigeria is the conduct of polls, which is the responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He called on National Assembly members to consider reforms that would curb politicians’ unwarranted movement from one political party to the other.
Ologbodiyan said: ‘The PDP is concerned. Members and leaders of the party are concerned about the movement from the PDP to the APC. We find a situation where, in some cases, the defections are not done from an open heart or from a free mind because there are cases of manipulation and influence from the ruling government and the ruling party by using government agencies to harass members, leaders, or elected officers in our party.
‘So you see, people are being blackmailed. But I will also not run away from the fact that there is internal strife within the PDP, creating fears among members of the party.
‘In the last couple of weeks, there have been a series of meetings, with the trajectory we are moving now, PDP may be able to bring up a party that will be strong and viable and able to stand for elections.
‘The major issue in our elections, as mentioned by Nigerians, is the INEC.
‘I expect the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to create a room that will reform the situation of defections so that both parliamentarians and those in the executive can face the consequence when they defect’.\\\
Advocacy Officer and ECOWAS Liaison Lead for West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network, Austin Aigbe called for the strengthening of the political party system in Nigeria through reforms, stressing that, wherein politicians face the consequences of dumping their political parties without cogent reason, indiscriminate defections as it presently would continue.
Aigbe warned that, if the political party system in the country does not come out well, achieving a credible election would be far-fetched, arguing that lack of internal party democracy affects elections and good governance in the long run.
‘Politics is the authoritative allocation of scarce resources. Politics is who gets what, how, and when, and that notion projects that people will always align with the trajectory that favours them.
‘The whole idea of defection has nothing more to do with simply interest’, he said.
Aigbe stated that citizens benefit nothing from political defections, saying that politicians use their shenanigans to deceive and divide the people, who lose sight of governance.
_Public Conscience_ is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio programme, which PRIMORG uses to draw the government’s and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.
The programme runs in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation.
