POLITICS: Don seeks law against defection

A public affairs analyst, Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, has described the act of taking mandates received from one political party to another through defection by elected officeholders as unwholesome. Pearse, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos He said there was the need for a law that would prevent such practices to promote politics with principles in the country. He said the recent defections of Governors Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, Bello Matawalle of Zamfara and Ben Ayade of Cross River and some lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other parties were not good for the nation’s democracy. Pearse said: “There should be a law against this unwholesome practice of receiving the mandate of one party and taking it to support the fortunes of another political party. “Each of the PDP governors and others who defected to APC and other political parties from APC is running away from debilitating personal problems. Their crossover is a matter of expediency, not principles. “Their political parties and the people who gave them the opportunity to become leaders of their states are powerless at this point in time to help them. “The defection of people to the ruling party and others is a reflection of the desperate times we live in. Principles and morality are fast becoming luxuries that people can hardly afford,” he said. According to him, the defection from party to party has become a norm in Nigerian politics, especially at the approach of the 2023 general elections. He said the recent defections could be perceived as a prelude to 2023. Pearse said: “Political party membership usually becomes stable after the national elections. “Many of the defectors to APC and other parties are likely to shuttle back to their original parties once that party is back in power. “What is more worrying today is preserving the unity and continued democratic existence of the nation.” NAN reports that there had been massive deflections from the main opposition party to the ruling party lately, the recent being the defection of Rep. Kabiru Amadu (PDP-Zamfara) on Wednesday to APC. Vanguard