Dele Majekodunmi writes that the bill to curtail politicians’ act of reckless defections is in order
Democracy has been touted as the best form of government, though the African version of democracy still leaves much to be desired.
Every democratic society thrives on certain values and ideals like periodic free and fair, credible elections, respect for fundamental human rights of citizens, freedom of political association, making economic and social rights justiciable and of course multi-party system state.
Just as the political operators of democracy in Nigeria have over time subverted the basic ideals that nourishes democratic state, the flippant change of political platforms has assumed a dangerous trend in the polity.
Due to no consequences for the act, politicians in Nigerians go to bed brandishing umbrellas and wake up waving brooms, the insignia of the ruling party in Nigeria.
For instance, in less than two years, three governors namely David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Ben Ayade of Cross River State, and recently Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State changed their political party after securing their peoples’ mandates. The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki also changed party in the build up to his re-election when forces in the APC were against him.
The dangers of reckless defection for the nation’s fledgling democracy compelled the House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila to propose a bill to stem the practice.
Currently, only members of the National Assembly were statute-barred to defect. A member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Taraba State, Rimamnde Kwewum, has now sponsored a bill to extend the condition to the president, vice-president, governor and deputy governor.
The bill, which is awaiting second reading by the House, seeks to amend sections 144(1) and 189(1) of the 1999 Constitution “to check incidents of defections, that is, cross-carpetings or abandoning the political party that sponsored a president, vice-president, governor or deputy governor, as the case may be, for another political party, in the absence of a merger of political parties, division or factions within the sponsoring political party.”
Kwewum, in the legislative brief on the bill, said, “Presently, only legislators in the national and state Houses of Assembly lose their seats if they defect to other political parties. The intention remains the need to improve and deepen democracy by strengthening the political parties.
“There is no doubting the fact that all through history, political parties have remained the strongest pillars of democracy. They provide choices for people by professing and working through some governing philosophies, and help to educate people on different patterns of developments being proposed by the different political parties.
“Often regarded by political parties which sponsored them as leaders, presidents and governors cannot abandon their political parties and retain the seat that they earned by the sponsoring political parties.”
The National Assembly as the main institution that symbolises democracy lived up to its bill by acting in the interest of the people and democracy. There is a need to nurture discipline in the party and to encourage fidelity to preferred political platforms.
Democracy thrives in an atmosphere of plurality of associations and opinions. If all elected public officers defected from smaller opposition parties to the main party, what remains for democracy? Fascism beckons as one party like that of China will only turn draconian, suppressing dissenting voices and views.
Also, amplifying the position of the sponsor of the bill, the sanctity of peoples’ mandates vested in a political party must be respected at all times. Just like the Labour and the Conservatives parties in the United Kingdom and the Democratic and Republican in the United States of America, citizens vote them into power largely based on party ideology.
Every discerning American adult knows what Republican or Democrat stands for, and support and allegiance and votes are often aligned with these biases and ideologies. So, it poses a serious threat to the development of democracy to betray such strong affinity by defecting.
Good governance will also be strengthened across the federation. An incumbent governor serving for the first term will be compelled to deliver exceptionally to earn the confidence of his political party for a second term. But that patriotic consideration will be thrown out of the window if the elected officer knows he can seek an alternative political platform if his performance index is abysmally poor.
Such political indiscipline should never be condoned in democracy. Party supremacy should be upheld at all times. No individual regardless of status and class should be bigger than the party. That is the party of building democratic structures and institutions.
The reckless defection with impunity witnessed in Nigeria is antithetical to democratic ideals. In a bid to return back to power at all costs, politicians who had moved into another political party often destabilize the system by overheating the polity.
In this case, elections are heavily monetized and opposition political parties including voters are intimidated. Public funds that should be used to provide infrastructure and other services are used to induce voters, security agents and to hire thugs who disrupt election exercise if the people are ready to vote their conscience?
This is another sour taste which defection leaves in the mouth of the people and the society. It encourages sleaze in public offices. Why perform in office when you can steal enough to buy peoples’ consciences?
