By Obinna Chukwuezie
One political activity that characterised the current political climate in Nigeria, is the oft-celebrated switch of party allegiance. In local parlance, it is known as “defection.” In some more other civilised climes, it is known as cross-carpeting, and such other nomenclature that describes the change in membership status-quo.
How defection affects us?
Defections happens all round the political season, however, it reaches its crescendo in the months leading to general elections.
Politicians switch from one party to another, sometimes alone, sometimes in droves with their supporters. Most times, political parties spend the period leading to elections for receiving decampees, which is usually done in very elaborate carnival-like ceremonies.
Parties spend time and resources in poaching and head-hunting aggrieved members in other parties and offering incentives for them to defect to theirs. This they do directly, or by proxy, and by exchange of visits.
Election year in Nigeria comes with so much horse-trading and intrigues. The impact of all these are that governance is paused and substituted with drama. Similarly, it heats up the polity, creates unnecessary distractions and polarize relationships.
In reality, no politician can be said to be a committed member of any political party during the election year, until the elections are concluded. Every party treats each politician with suspicion, not knowing what their next move would be. Indeed, politicians are the most unpredictable set of humans. In the morning, they shout the slogan and eulogise party “A,” and cajole party “B”, while at night, they condemn party “A” and claim that party “B” is the best thing ever to happen to Nigeria.
No party is immune from defection. The ruling party has witnessed defections from it, and into it. The same goes for minority parties. Virtually all parties have benefited and lost from defections. Defections has strengthened some parties and weakened others. Some parties have not recovered from defections. Such parties gets jittery at skirmishes that could activate defection moves.
Defection-prone politicians?
No politician can be trusted enough not to defect. They defect at will. They defect at the slightest provocation. Some are first-time defectors, while some are perpetual defectors. For these set of politicians, there’s hardly any political party in Nigeria that has never had their names in their membership register. Some has defected to prominence, while some defected to oblivion. There are those politicians that are regarded as “defection-prone” politicians.
Nigeria currently has 91 registered parties, it is doubtful if the defection-prone politicians would get a feel of each party in their lifetime. Such politicians exist in every parts of Nigeria, across religions, and across sex.
Why defections happens?
In Nigeria, defection is not a crime. It is provided for in Nigeria’s electoral law. However, it is not absolute. A defect has the onus to prove that there is division in his/her former party such that such division has made it practicably impossible to remain in the former party. One gap in that provision is that it didn’t expressly define what division is, so it was left at the mercy of politicians to define what constitute division, from tangible to inconsequential.
Overtime, most defection, as we have seen are not on account of division. They are largely on account of politicians’ interest. They defect to where their personal interest would be protected per time. Sadly, their interests fluctuates like electricity in Nigeria. So, the frequency of defections is not something that any political analyst could decipher. They defect as-they-go, like MTN network.
The ruling party cries more when it experiences defection
Politics is a game of numbers, that is why parties curry defectors. They celebrate it when they get new additions, they sub when they experience exits.
When ruling party are affected, the pain is severe, as they deploy the state apparatus to get back at the ex-member or would-be defector. The ruling wants to cling to power at all cost, so it doesn’t take defection from it lightly. It takes it as treason, an attempt to overthrow the government, sort of. The ruling party dreads defection, fights it, and rebuffs it. The ruling party blackmails the defector. The more it pretends that it was not affected by the loss, the more it it is visible to all that it suffers excruciating pain from exits.
On the other hand, the heaven blazes at the welcome of a defector. The reception is carried on live television. Red carpet are rolled out. The best DJs select the dance tunes. Uniform are sewn and crowd are hired. The new brides are welcomed with open arms. They are priceless possession. Their sins are forgiven, old things have passed away. Saints, they are! Beautiful bride, indeed!
How to handle defection?
One fundamental reason why defections happen is that the parties have no ideology. The manifestos of various parties are substantially same. If they were different, there is less likelihood that defection will happen. It is not likely that a conservative will overnight turn liberal. The electoral law needs to define the grounds for defection, as well as provide for penalties to defectors, as deterrent.
Obinna Chukwuezie is a media and development practitioner based in Jos. He can be reached via obinna@communitystories.ng or Twitter @obinnachukwuzie
