| Prof. Femi Ajayi
NIGERIA POLITICAL ASYLUM SEEKERS |
 t the twinkle of an eye, some Nigerian politicians' unashamedly resolved into competing with monkeys in the Savannah Region, jumping from one tree to another, in a rocky environment, breaking their back, creating more albatross to their communities. Leaders of any succeeding party become heroes, or mentors, to those who lost elections, falling into one of the seven sins of humanity, spirited by one of the most influential figures in modern social and political activism, Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi, Politics without Principle; most spiritually perilous to humanity.
The Emerged 2015 Two Political Parties in Nigeria APC & PDP
Unfortunately, some Nigerians' psyche has been purchased with mammon; and strong members of a political party could easily defect, as a result of their loss in elections. Those of scheming characters, dishonorably play politics, and at a loss, turn into nonconformists, causing more anarchy to the society when they have no guiding principle, outside their pockets; using the poor stack illiterates to perpetuate their greed.
Unfortunately, they have been labelled SIN-Nators and Representa-Thieves.
Political defection has been the pattern of the political parties, since the return of democracy from the obsessive Military interruptions on the new structure to build strong democracy in the African much talked about the leader of the Black Nation. The flurry, at which an average Nigerian politician defects to another political party, is despicable. As soon as the politicians realized that their party is not going to make headway, they shift gear and begin to look for their lost green where they never sow, so that they could continue siphoning the little resources for Nigeria teaming population. They neglect the party that gave them the platform of where they are. Lack of Principle is responsible for politicians' uncontrollable defection from one party to another.
Unfortunately, some Nigerians celebrate torpor, bigotry, taking shelter where they do not build, lost decency, dignity in their life, and continue to live spurious life.
By the time the Military got out of favor in governance, Nigeria recorded over sixty political parties, like social organizations of chop and quench; or like market, women would take fresh vegetables for early morning market sales. Some parties behaved as going for fruit plantations harvest in the savannah belt. Nigerians yearning for formidable political parties, to address the issues affecting the country, dismantled the PDP's boast of governing the country for 60 years; believed to be the largest domineering political party in Africa, were pruned into two major political parties, APC, and PDP.
The Nigerian style of revolution!
Politics has become another job opportunity for most Nigerians. A young brilliant student, after graduation from College, would claim that politics is a job. Instead of using his degree to fetch some gainful sustainable life of settling down and raising a family, decides to follow some oblivious, opaque politicians. If eventually he does not succeed in getting what it takes to make a living, he resolves into all sorts of practices, becoming nuisance to the community, breeding social mischief makers in the society.
In 2015 elections, APC gave PDP a fight of the century, broken the jinx in the history of Nigeria to be the first to beat an incumbent President to concede: the First to elect a female governor in Nigeria; first to re-elect a sitting governor in Oyo State.
This is a common sense Nigeria Stylish revolution!
It is right for anyone to defect because the Constitution allows free association. However, it is immoral for someone to leave his party because it lost in the elections. It is about the character.
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Political tsunami as 5,000 PDP Benue State members defected to APC
Some decamped PDP key players would be happy that PDP finally came on its knees with 2015 election loss. The decamped 3,000 PDP members to APC, at a time, publicly torn their PDP membership cards of a political party that brought them to their political level of about 16 years, are really men and women of honor. In a civilized society their disgraceful acts would have been approached differently, as they were part of the mismanaged affairs of the country. It's a reprehensible act on each of them, especially those who had the opportunity to be part of its policy making process. In other words they were part of the PDP pitiable report card that affected its loss at the 2015 elections. It is immoral for them to leave the party few days after PDP lost the presidential election to APC.
What they would siphon never stop them, being prodigal sons and daughters, selling their birthrights for bowls of porridge, without honoring their God-given talents to make life better for an average Nigerian. They should bury their heads in shame; provided they have that. They should honorably respect the will of the electorates not worshipping leaders as some slothful PDP members demonstrate today (April 2015).
The ingrates, heartless, brainless political top members of the outgoing Jonathan administration massive defection into the incoming central Government of APC, are those who play Politics without Principle. Someone like a former Health Minister who manufactured ceaseless strikes for Health workers; a defecting political adviser of Goodluck Jonathan, on the political missteps of his re-election campaign team that led to the defeat; some serving National Assembly members who held some key positions at the National Assembly, who refused to muscle the PDP majority for good legislation for the administration's good job, which eventually gave him pitiable report cards at the 2015 elections. It is unthinkable that PDP immediate past national shameless legal adviser, Governorship aspirants, are now defecting into APC.
Definitely the defection by politicians is not good for Nigeria Democracy and its development. As a matter of fact APC has garnished enough miscreants into its party for its relevance. It absorbed from nPDP that actually started the glow of the APC. Nigerians are awaiting APC's lessons from PDP.
It serves PDP defectors right, with the response from the President-elect, General Muhammad Buhari, and John Odigie Oyegun, the first national chairman of APC, rightly advised, the political prostitutes from PDP, that they should not come joggling for positions in APC; they should remain in PDP, play the role of a strong party, of opposing views, to keep the incoming APC government on its toes, indubitably necessary for Nigerian democratic development. PDP could plant very nice seed in a fertile ground for good yields of vegetables to attract very good customers, for the family delicious soup.
The law could be taking its shape for defecting politicians to complete the mandate of the party which platform they obtained their positions before defecting, or vacate such mandates when they deflect. Unfortunately, most of them are morally bankrupt. The case in point is the Federal High Court in Abuja March 27, 2014 struck out the suit filed by 79 lawmakers who defected to APC on the ground that it has become an academic exercise.
According to Section 147 of the 1999 Nigeria Constitution, as amended, it is the prerogative of the President to constitute a cabinet of his choice. It is equally incumbent on him to deliver on his numerous campaign promises to the electorate during 2015 elections. Consequently, Buhari would be in the best position to select exceedingly qualified Nigerians, from different parts of the country to function in different organs under his supervision. Nigerians do not want ministers who are lethargic in the assigned portfolio.
Possibly Buhari could stop all these maladies of visiting politicians who have successfully bagged positions with the Government at any level with without assessing their upcoming assignments that could benefit the people. We won't blame those lobbying for positions, only if they are qualified and they are going to serve with fairness, commitments, and fear of God in their services. We hope some Nigerians would stop selling their birthrights for the bowls of porridge, brown-nosing the power, so that they could be considered for positions.
Some Nigerian politicians' memory could be short in most cases. In governance, solutions beget issues for another line of action. APC, in all ramifications, would like to keep the central government as far as its sense of gullible services could sustain it. The practice whereby someone defects today from a party, and becomes a Minister the second day, in the new party, should be discouraged in the incoming administration.
We hope that Buhari's administration would desist from recycling its political appointees at the Federal level, especially when it comes to the Ministerial positions. Care must be taking in appointing unprincipled defecting politicians. We would be wondering what a former two-term Governor would be doing seeking for a Ministerial position. If we may go further, of what need is the former number four man in Nigeria government; a former Presidential candidate want to be on the list of recycled politician, not experts? Does that mean there is nothing they could do besides being recycled all over again, even without relevance? Does that mean that Nigeria is in short of qualified individuals to operate certain Federal Ministries; or just using that position as a political patronage to serve the community with their qualifications? Why is recycling a custom in some zones?
The screening exercise of the Ministers has been a mockery of the specific services they are supposed to render. The new administration should checkmate the use of the Senate floor for 'bowing and exit' without deep examination of the potential Minister's knowledge of the Ministry to manage. The screening exercise should not be a clearing house for criminals. Portfolios must be assigned with the names submitted to the Senate tally with the nominees' qualifications and experiences.
Regardless of the political, ethnic, and religious mind-set of most Nigerians; considering the level of insecurity in the country; the high unemployment rate especially among Nigerians Youth; the high level of poverty in Nigeria; Buhari administration should chose honest individuals, not recycling those who are confused about Management in modern terms in addressing some teething issues affecting Nigerians. Nigerians want these addressed IMMEDIATELY.
Nigerians hope that the new administration will get new fresh, intelligent individuals to assist in managing the affairs of the country, not the recycled morally bankrupt political prostitutes.
Femi Ajayi is a Professor of Policy, Management & Conflict Resolution, at Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State
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