A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and political affairs analyst, Dr. George Agbakahi has said that the flurry of defections into the ruling APC by opposition governors and nationwide Meeting members and others, was as a result of sterling efficiency of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He additionally mentioned the detectors need to save their political profession from the sinking events.
Agbakahi, who’s South East chief of Tinubu Help Group and member of 2023 Presidential Marketing campaign Council (PCC) Media and Publicity Directorate, defined that removed from political survival or lack of ideology, the defectors had to think about their political survival provided that the opposition events just like the Peoples Democratic Half, PDP, and Labour Celebration, LP are both in life help or bleeding badly.
Talking on the event, in an Come up Tv present affairs programme, which was monitored in Abuja by our reporter, Dr. George Agbakahi, said that defection shouldn’t be a brand new factor in Nigerian politics and even in america of America, whose democracy Nigeria is copying.
“Politically talking, political alliance, realignment and alignment are all main options of multi-party democracy and it’s been ongoing since time immemorial. It’s not solely in Nigeria, it’s a world situation.
“Going to america, you keep in mind a serious world politician, President Donald Trump, he was as soon as a member of Democratic Celebration someday in 2001 and 2009 earlier than he later decamped to the Republican Celebration, and now he’s the President of that nice nation, United States of America.
“Within the Nigerian context, you keep in mind within the Second Republic, it was Abubakar Rimi being the primary governor that defected from PRP to NPP. So it’s ongoing. I keep in mind vividly through the Obasanjo regime or in direction of the top of the regime; that was 2007 election when PDP gained about 28 governorship seats and later 4 governors defected to the social gathering.
“I imagine that point we solely had AD (Alliance for Democracy) profitable in Lagos state, the present President was the governor; the then ANPP (All Nigeria Peoples Celebration) profitable in Borno, Kano, Yobe and I feel one different state.
“What I’m saying is that this, defection in a political system shouldn’t be an aberration, this has began way back. So all these governors or senators or honourable members which can be defecting to the ruling social gathering within the nation, the APC, there’s nothing disingenuous or cynical about it,” Agbakahi said.
He cited Part 68 of the 1999 Structure, which he mentioned made it clear that if one defects to a different social gathering, the individual loses his or her seat in case of lawmakers.
“However folks need to keep in mind that that very same Part 68 Sub 1(g), there’s a little little bit of ambiguity in there within the sense that if you’re defecting to a different social gathering when your social gathering is in disarray you’re justified.
“That’s why you may have by no means seen any courtroom of regulation in Nigeria that has eliminated any politician, be you a member of the Home of Reps or senate or governor that has defected, besides when his or her social gathering shouldn’t be in turmoil,” he mentioned.
He famous that other than the disaster of their events, the governors and different defectors are defecting due to the efficiency of President Tinubu.
“So, one of many causes for my part a few of these governors are defecting to the APC might be due to the great work the president is doing. The financial system has circled and I see these defections, notably the one in Enugu state, which is among the main states, most likely the capital of South East.
“If you speak concerning the 5 states there, I see it as an affirmation and utmost proclamation of the renewed hope agenda of the present authorities. That signifies that his insurance policies, all of the initiatives are working. The financial system is popping round, the inflation is coming all the way down to most likely about 18.12 % now, and our international reserve has gone as much as about 43 billion {dollars}, there’s a commerce surplus, in order that’s why I see them defecting,” he added.
The APC chieftain maintained that the social gathering can also be doing so much to enhance stability and unity within the social gathering with a purpose to overcome some shortcomings which may include such large defections within the social gathering like the way in which the social gathering is managing such points in Delta state between contending events.
“However the factor concerning the Enugu defections, it’s instructive to notice that in Enugu state the governor didn’t defect alone, he defected with nearly the complete political construction. However extra importantly, all the previous governors, Ugwuanyi, Sullivan Chime and doubtless Chimaroke; they’re all defecting enmass to the APC. So this can be a huge enhance for the APC not solely in Enugu state but additionally the South East,” he mentioned.
He mentioned that APC is now entrenched in Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states, whereas the governors of Anambra and Abia states, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and Alex Otti respectively have pledged to help President Tinubu as a result of his insurance policies and imaginative and prescient intertwined with theirs.
Whereas dismissing insinuations in some quarters that the defections had been for lack of ideology, political survival or for private curiosity as towards the curiosity of the folks, Dr. Agbakahi cited the instance of Enugu state, who gave his causes for defection because the alignment in his imaginative and prescient and insurance policies with that of President Tinubu.
“The governor of Enugu state or one in every of his spokespeople got here on tv and mentioned that PDP was not taking Enugu state critically. He got here once more and mentioned that his imaginative and prescient in Enugu state is interwoven with that of Mr. President. He once more went so far as saying that they don’t need to stick with the sinking ship, the PDP.
“Everyone knows what has been occurring in PDP. PDP for fairly a while has been on life help. This can be a social gathering that can’t get its acts collectively, a celebration that can’t conduct a conference, they’re in courtroom, they’re preventing,” he said.
He mentioned {that a} related chaotic scenario obtains within the Labour Celebration the place Abure and Nenadi Usman are preventing for supremacy.
“Like I mentioned the financial system has circled, even the meals costs are coming down. I went to the market final time and purchased a bag of rice for about N62, 000. I keep in mind round this time final 12 months I purchased it for round N84, 000.
“I’m a center class man. After I go to the market, one moodu of garri is N1,100. I keep in mind by this time final 12 months it was N1,500 to N1,600. Meals costs are coming down due to the daring insurance policies and initiatives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that’s what you see taking place,” he maintained.
