Senator Mohammed Magoro representing Kebbi South on the platform of the PDP also joined his colleague, Senator Bagudu, of the APC.


L-R: Aboho, Cheche and Esuene

Esuene, who was one of the aggrieved 22 governorship aspirants in Akwa Ibom State that rejected the outcome of the primary that handed the governorship ticket to Emmanuel Udom, had also defected to the APC.

Abatemi-Usman, who lost the ticket to return on the platform of the PDP, has picked the ticket of the Progressive Peoples Party.

It would be recalled that both chambers had witnessed similar defections a year ago, when the APC emerged on the political scene as the biggest opposition party in the country.

In January 2014, 11 senators of the PDP, led by a former Governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki, defected to the APC. Others were Adamu Abdulahi, Shaba Lafiagi, Ibrahim Gobir, Aisha Al-Hassan, Magnus Abe, Wilson Ake, Jibrilla Mohammed Bindowo, Danjuma Goje, Ali Ndume and Umar Dahiru.

Earlier, on December 18, 2013, 37 members of the PDP in the House of Representatives declared their defection to the APC.

Besides the legislature, mass defections have also been recorded in the executive arm of government in different states, most of which also border on party tickets.

Last Monday, the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Ahmed Ibeto, and over 2oo political office holders defected from the PDP to the APC.

He attributed his defection to injustice meted out to him and other contestants in the state party primaries, describing the exercise as flawed and stage-managed to favour anointed candidates.

Ibeto said, “The electoral process that threw up Alhaji Umar Nasko as PDP governorship candidate was not in accordance with the PDP electoral law and the constitution.

“It is true we are defecting to APC because the primaries conducted were not in accordance with the PDP constitution.

“Myself and other aggrieved party members decided to petition the National Headquarters of the party (PDP) on the outcome of the governorship primaries, with a view to addressing the obvious injustice but met a brick wall.”

Similarly, on Tuesday, a former Secretary to Government of Kaduna State, Samaila Lawal, and over 430 members of the PDP defected to the APC in the Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State – the hometown of a former governor of the state and Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Ahmed Makarfi.

Earlier, on January 14, some prominent members of the PDP in Ondo State – led by a former Chief of Staff to the late ex-Governor, Olusegun Agagu, Mr. Femi Agagu –moved to the APC, foreclosing the possibility of reconciling aggrieved members of the party ahead of the elections.

Others who defected with him were a former Commissioner for Works, Mr. Latin Ayeni; a former Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Niran Sule; and Mrs. Tola Aworh, who is a former Commissioner for Women Affairs.

Besides the defection of former commissioners who served in the cabinet of the late Agagu, two former speakers of the state House of Assembly, Victor Olabintan and Taofeek Abdulsalam, also announced their defection to the APC.

A one-time governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy, Mr. Bankole Oluwajana, also switched allegiance to the APC.

Speaking on the defection, Agagu said, “Today is indeed a watershed in the political history of Ondo State. Never before have so many notable people chosen to desert a political party at the same time like this. We have also received the confidence of distinguished elder statesmen, non-political young and elderly citizens who are concerned about the future of our dear state and country.”

Earlier in December 2014, a former Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, left the PDP for the Labour Party, where he re-ignited his governorship ambition after he lost to former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, at the party’s primary.

Two major defections in 2014 were those of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, (from PDP to APC) and a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu. Tambuwal had joined the APC to contest the presidential race but later got the APC governorship ticket in Sokoto State. Ribadu, on the other hand, returned to the PDP to pursue his Adamawa State governorship ambition.

According to the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Abdullahi Jalo, those who left the ruling party for other parties are politicians who are pursuing selfish political goals. He argued that none of the defectors could cite fighting the course of others as the reason for their defection. He pointed out to SUNDAY PUNCH that the defections were not based on principle or ideology.

Jalo said, “Look at the issue from two angles: Some people are into politics for nation building, others are doing it for personal interest. You will now know those who defect because they could not get tickets to contest (in the elections). By their antecedents, you will know that their sole aim is to get power, not to help the country.

“Categorically speaking, many of our politicians are not doing politics to put in their best for the development of the country; they are doing it to get what they want. That is the most saddening part of it. Look at the entire opposition (parties), you will realise that only one or two persons are members from the beginning. The rest are coming from somewhere simply because they did not get what they wanted.”

However, a former Deputy Governor of Ogun State and senator representing Ogun-East Senatorial District, Adegbenga Kaka, faulted Jalo’s position on defection. The lawmaker, who was part of the former Governor Olusegun Osoba-led Ogun APC faction which moved into the SDP, told SUNDAY PUNCH politicians defect for various reasons.

Kaka said, “There are so many reasons and factors why people defect from one party to the other. Even the Electoral Act envisages a situation whereby division within a political party can necessitate switching of political platforms.

“On the present situation, you will discover that the democracy we are practising is still at its infancy. As a result, the differences of many people who come together – not on principle or any ideology – will begin to manifest. It will be difficult to continue to co-habit when they are strange bedfellows.

“Our case was clear; it was not for selfish reasons or second term ambition.”

http://www.punchng.com/politics/poll-defecting-in-search-of-tickets/

PDP pigs how market?


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