A SEASON of double speak and unprincipled political defections, of excitement by the party brimming to the top with defectors, and trepidation by those losing members, ominously heralds the 2027 elections; and lends credence to the stereotype that politics is an amoral game in Nigeria.
Despite stringent criticisms of its economic policies, principled defections out of the ruling party are few. The ungodly rush into it, and the impending defection of Senator Kwankwaso, makes it imperative to interrogate the political rascality responsible for the torrential defections from the opposition parties.
If any prominent politician had defected from APC to another party, protesting its withdrawal of petroleum subsidy, it would have been a principled defection. Or, if any high-profile politician had defected from it due to its neglect of his zone (like the North East as aired by Senator Goje), worsening insecurity challenges (the resurgence of BH according to Governor Zulum), etc, they wouldn’t have been opportunistic defections. Whoever defects to any party holistically endorses its policies.
Since 2015 or thereabout, Senator Kwankwaso has been a thorn to ruling parties. He seemed to be unimpressed by PDP’s boastful 60-year hold on power, by dumping it for the APC. And after the new party began to flex its muscles as the party to beat, he rushed back to the PDP. Thereafter, he dumped the PDP for hitherto an unknown party, the NNPP, and repositioned it to pants down defeat the APC in the 2023 election in Kano.
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Kwankwaso’s recent visit to the Villa is perplexing, has rattled the opposition, and sent political shock waves to the Ganduje-led APC community in Kano. With Kwankwaso as a political confidant of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT), Ganduje’s political nightmare would commence.
Senator Kwankwaso isn’t a novice in political defections. With a fourfold-change-party like shirt pedigree, should the 5th defection materialise, Kwankwaso would be the quintessential expression of political defections in Nigerian politics.
Since his hobnobbing with PBAT began, the Senator might have at last discovered that his defections from ruling parties, were “economic and political blunders”.
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Are the defections irresistible due to better organisation, internal democracy, ideological superiority, pro-people policies, or governance style of the ruling party? The defections don’t seem to be informed by any of the highlighted factors.
Nigerian politics has gone beyond a selfless public service activity to a lucrative profit-making venture. The vast economic carrots embedded in governments are irresistible for opportunistic defections. And with impending elections, governments dangle carrots like Father Christmas, and deploy sticks like conquerors.
There are prosecutorial privileges of crossing over to a ruling party. At one time, Adams Oshiomhole, as APC National Chairman, was reported to have said that whoever joined his party, their sins would be wiped away. And a few prominent National Assembly (NASS) members defected to the APC, and benefited from the Attorney General’s nolle prosequi.
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Captured political parties, robbed of internal party democracy by political overlords have become vicious intra-party battle grounds, mostly forcing principled members out of them.
For a leader to trade off the liberation of his people, with economic and political carrots, or political vendetta reveals much about opportunistic political defections in Nigeria. How would the Germans or Kanawa regard such a Fuhrer, or in Kwankwasiyya parlance a Madugu, who wantonly abandons them in their most vulnerable hour?
Some defections are motivated by political vendetta to exact pounds of flesh from political opponents. Political loyalists of Dr Ganduje, an arch political enemy to Kwankwaso, are apprehensive that his rumoured defection to the ruling party is to politically crush their leader. As they say, time would tell.
If any prominent politician had defected from APC to another party, protesting its withdrawal of petroleum subsidy, it would have been a principled defection. Or, if any high-profile politician had defected from it due to its neglect of his zone (like the North East as aired by Senator Goje), worsening insecurity challenges (the resurgence of BH according to Governor Zulum), etc, they wouldn’t have been opportunistic defections. Whoever defects to any party holistically endorses its policies.
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If there is a political defectors club, Senator Kwankwaso wouldn’t be its only prominent member; others would include Atiku Abubakar, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and Peter Obi among others, each defined by a party dumping trajectory. And with the Okowa-led Delta defections, and the Senator Kawu and other defectors from the NASS, the club would keep swelling.
Atiku’s 2007 defection to the AC was principled, since a captured PDP forced him out of its bosom. And his exit from PDP to APC in 2015, was principled dictated by the lost focus of GEJ’s PDP-led administration, and the refusal to allow the North to fulfil late Yar’Adua’s tenure.
Atiku’s other defection from APC to PDP was partly principled due to the widening gulf between the Buhari regime and the people, and partly opportunistic, since he couldn’t outvote Buhari in the 2019 APC primaries, foreclosing his chance in the party. And his defection from AC back to the PDP was an opportunistic search for a bigger political platform for his presidential aspiration.
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Peter Obi’s defections from a zonal party to the PDP, yet to another small party, had less to do with principled politics, but much to do with the opportunistic motive to, by all means, vie for the highest office in whichever party.
The nation’ s neoliberal decay has degraded the people into expendable political resources. The onus is on them to reset politics on a selfless public service trajectory through peoples’ parties piloted by unassuming transparent leaders.
Like Atiku’s and Kwankwaso’s 2015 defections to the APC, that of el-Rufai was principled. But his defection to the SDP is partly principled due to the unfriendly policies of the party, and mainly opportunistic to settle personal political scores with PBAT, or to find a platform for his presidential ambition.
Those prioritising personal gains in politics aren’t encumbered by ethical considerations in their political conduct. Principled defections due to ideological or policy incompatibilities are few, reflecting the poverty of principled politics in Nigeria.
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For a leader to trade off the liberation of his people, with economic and political carrots, or political vendetta reveals much about opportunistic political defections in Nigeria. How would the Germans or Kanawa regard such a Fuhrer, or in Kwankwasiyya parlance a Madugu, who wantonly abandons them in their most vulnerable hour?
The nation’ s neoliberal decay has degraded the people into expendable political resources. The onus is on them to reset politics on a selfless public service trajectory through peoples’ parties piloted by unassuming transparent leaders.
Jahun, a commentator on public affairs writes from Dutse, Jigawa State capital. He can be reached on 07039038088.
