Unending Scramble for Survival

In the midst of the gale of defections that has since rented the political atmosphere of the country, there was a near-balancing speculation of the mood with the purported defection of some prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, including about three governors, which had already created a bag of mixed feelings on the horizon.

Prominent amongst the names being touted is a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who would have been the new Senate Majority Leader by the new numbers. Although other heavyweights like the Governors of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade; Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi and their Enugu State counterpart, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had shaken the atmosphere a little bit, that of Akpabio took a dimension that elicited concerns even amongst his PDP folks and sympathisers. The story was that out of the desperation by the APC, Akpabio was being blackmailed with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over some of his ending financial malfeasance as governor and the condition for playing balls with the ruling party was stashed on the table for him.

Whilst others had carefully denied any such development, including the PDP leadership itself, the Akpabio speculation has continued to grow stronger. But this has not changed the perception of a majority of the observing public, who not only sense desperation on the party of the ruling party, but also spotted the scramble for survival in the choice made by Akpabio.

What this means, therefore, is that the last has not been heard of the developing moves by politicians to cross for survival, bearing in mind that the tsunami that recently hit the APC is not exclusive to it; the PDP too might have its time soon if the extrapolations do not sufficiently sit well with the ultimate goals of its members.