A Look At The Defection Of Peter Obi To The NDC And Other Matters -By Hadiza Mohammed

The defection of Mr. Peter Obi, the former Labor Party presidential flag bearer in the 2023 general election from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the newly-registered Nigerian Democratic Congress is generating a lot of comments in the public space especially as the movement has become too frequent. The former Anambra State governor has changed political party at four different occasions: from APGA, PDP, LP, ADC and now to NDC.

Many especially from Obi’s camp, the Obidient Movement saw it as a good development and a means of escaping being trapped in the ADC when the timeline set by the INEC for parties to nominate their candidates for elective positions may have expired. Members of the Obidient movement believed that the ADC platform was a trap set for Obi by opponents to prevent him from appearing on the ballot paper in the ‘forthcoming election. So, they see the Seriake Dickson’s NDC as a viable option for the soft-spoken political gladiator. The movement caught the ruling party napping because they have not been able to infiltrate the new party or instigated confusion and disunity as they did in the ADC that is still entangled in different legal tussles.

But, those from the other camp especially from the ADC believe that Obi’s departure would weaken the opposition and create room for easy victory for the ruling APC. Of course, the assemblage of political heavy weights in the ADC has been of a great concern to the ruling APC that is fixated about turning Nigeria into a one-party state. That is the reason behind the induced crisis and numerous court cases bedeviling the party.

Members of the ruling party who are obviously apprehensive of the rising profile of Obi received the defection to the new party with mixed feelings. While they believed that the defection will make the opposition weak and divide whatever vote available and make their work easier for them, they are still worried about having Obi on the ballot papers since that will also mean diving the southern votes with Bola Tinubu while allowing the ADC easy access to votes from the North if they field a Northern candidate as their presidential flag bearer.

Clearly, Obi is not alone in this game of defection. Almost every politician in this era has changed parties a good number of times. There is hardly any one person who has not party. Even Tinubu has moved from the AD, ACN to the present APC; and Buhari from the ANPP, CPC to APC before the 2015 general election. Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State political strong man has his one leg in the PDP and another in the APC.

Defection from one political party to another is an entrenched practice in the Nigeria political arena. Defection or cross-carpeting as a political phenomenon did not start in Nigeria today. It started in the colonial era. In 1954, the Zik’s NCNC won the majority seat in the Western House but overnight, the victory was turned upside down when seven members of the NCNC led by Adisa Akinloye cross-carpeted to the Awolowo-led AG. In 1963, still in the West, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola left the AG and formed alliance with the North-dominated NPC and plunged the entire West Region into a political crisis. Also, in 1983, still in the Southwest Region, Chief Akin Omoboriowo, the then deputy governor of Ondo State left the Southwest-dominated UPN and defected to the ruling NPN and defeated the incumbent governor, Chief Adekunle Ajasin in what was generally believed to be a rigged election. And again, hell was let loosed as was the case of the wild, wild West also known as operation “Wetie” during the S. L Akintola period.

That was a glimpse from the past. But, defection syndrome is more pronounced in this era where we have many jobless people whose only business and source of livelihood is politics. And one unfortunate thing here is that it creates apathy in the minds of the electorates who believe that the politicians are the same people who cannot be trusted.

Without doubt, the culture of unbridled defection across party platforms is a measure of lack of maturity and a source of failure and instability in the Nigerian political system that is devoid of any clear-cut of political ideology. In Nigeria majority of politicians are not statesmen in the real sense of it but mercenaries and fortune seekers. And that is why many believe that defection is the result of inordinate ambition, crass opportunism and lust for power by the defectors. But beyond that, some change parties out of protest when there is lack of transparency, fear of marginalization, lack of equity and fairness in their political platforms.

However, I still believe that the movement of Obi to the NDC will not foreclose the coming together of the opposition to present a joint candidate for the presidential election as agreed in the Ibadan convention held by the members of the opposition parties recently.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed 

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com

An actress, social activist, politician

London, UK