Apprehension over Defections in National Assembly

 

The gale of defections in the National Assembly caused by alleged poor handling of the internal politics of the two major political parties by their leaders continue unabated as more lawmakers are set to dump their parties on the floors of the two chambers this week, Sunday Aborisade reports

Baring any last minute changes, massive defections of lawmakers would happen in the Senate and House of Representatives this week at plenary following the failure of the national leadership of the two main political parties in the country – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – to effectively address the grievances of the legislators arising from the just concluded primaries which produced candidates that would contest the National Assembly elections next year on their platforms.

The federal lawmakers had earlier in the year, sensed that the governors in their various states either wanted to take over their seats or have fresh candidates that would replace them, hence moves were made to give them automatic tickets from their political parties but the plan failed.

Reasons for the failure of the plan in the PDP could not be immediately be ascertained but it was frustrated in the APC because a sitting Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, was in charge of the party’s affairs. 

The lawmakers allegedly, planned the removal of Buni and ensure his replacement with one of their own, who was representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District, who was a two-term governor, Senator Adamu Abdullahi. 

This was after the lawmakers had ensured the insertions of certain provisions in the 2010 Electoral Act (Amendments) Bill 2021 which they hoped would clip the wings of the governors in the choice of the party’s candidates for the 2023 general election.

The national legislators initially made provisions for the direct mode of primary election in the first bill sent to President Muhammadu Buhari so that all party members and not the delegates (who are mostly in governors’ control) would determine the aspirants fate but Buhari rejected it and pleaded with them to consider the inclusion of indirect and consensus options for the sake of other political parties.

The lawmakers agreed but made provisions for only ad-hoc delegates who were specifically elected for primary elections and removed statutory and special delegates who are made up of elected officials, political appointees and past and present executives of political parties at all levels 

The development excluded president, vice president, governors, deputy governors, elected council officials, lawmakers, political appointees, past and present executives of political parties from determining the fate of the aspirants at all levels.

By virtue of Section 84 (8) of the Electoral Act, 2022, delegates to vote at the Indirect Primaries and National Convention of political parties to elect candidates for elections shall be those democratically elected for that purpose only. That was how the legislature excluded itself from the primary elections.

They nevertheless decided to right the wrongs following a court order and the fact that the ad-hoc delegates could be pocketed by the governors but the last minute amendment to include the statutory and special delegates was too late as President Buhari refused to sign the new amendment.

The governors had their ways in the primary elections at the state, National Assembly and presidential primary elections.

This led to about 70 per cent of the National Assembly members losing their seats at the end of the polls because the governors anointed candidates won.

Specifically, about 174 members of the House of Representatives out of the 360 and 54 senators out of the 109 senators lost their return tickets.

Terribly disappointed and frustrated by the turn of events, the aggrieved federal parliamentarians resumed plenary penultimate week and started dumping their parties one after another, to enable them to participate in the next year’s general election.

The last minute efforts by the National Chairman of the APC to halt further defection failed last week after his meeting with the aggrieved lawmakers. THISDAY learnt from senators who attended the meeting that Adamu cited intelligence reports available to the party leadership as reasons for conveying the parley.

A senator from the North-west, told THISDAY on condition of anonymity that the APC national chairman said he learnt that some APC lawmakers were planning massive defections on the floor of the two chambers next week. He said his colleagues told Adamu that only justice could reverse the gale of defections rocking the party. He added that they sought the immediate intervention of the APC leadership to stem the tide.

The senator said: “The National Chairman said the essence of his meeting with us was to find out the reasons APC senators were defecting. Adamu said he had intelligence reports that many senators were planning massive defections next week and he came to find out what could be done to halt the action.

“Some senators actually stood up to give different scenarios of the type of injustices they suffered in the hands of their governors. Adamu, after listening to them, promised that the National Working Committee of the APC and the leadership of the Senate would meet soon to address the lawmakers’ grievances,” the source added.

The defection tide has so far swept away nine senators including the Senate Leader and the Minority Leader while about 20 others mostly from the APC are set to join them this week.

Six APC senators had sent their defection letters to the Senate President. They included, Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, who defected to the PDP. The seventh, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau has not formally defected on the floor of the Senate but he is now the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). 

The Senate Leader in his letter, alleged that the democratic challenges and deficits in Kebbi State, did not just start from the last congresses, but from July last year. He alleged that, “The governor illegally decapitated the state leadership of the party, imposed unelected ward, local government and state executives of the party.

Also, a former governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), defected from the ruling APC to the PDP stating that his “predicated on the fact that there is no internal democracy in the APC.”

He alleged that Governor Atiku Bagudu had  “bastardised, the party and electoral processes in the state which are now characterised by high-handedness and unfairness.”

Similarly, Senators Ahmad Babba-Kaita (Katsina North), Lawal Gumau (Bauchi South), and Francis Alimikhena (Edo North) also announced their defection from the ruling party on Tuesday at the plenary. Babba-Kaita and Alimikhena defected to the PDP while Gumau, defected to the NNPP.

 Shekarau, representing Kano Central District is expected to defect along with others this week on the floor of the Senate.

Meanwhile, the wind of defection also hit the PDP caucus as it lost three members. One of them is the former Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe who dumped the PDP and resigned his position as a principal officer of the Senate.

Abaribe, who was one of the top contenders for the party’s governorship ticket in Abia State, pulled out of the primary and joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

He confirmed his exit from the PDP and as a minority leader in both the party and the Senate in separate letters to the ward chairman of the PDP in the Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State and the President of the Senate in the National Assembly.

Abaribe cited reasons of illegality, impunity and hesitations in decision-making for his decision to dump the party.

Besides, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, representing Taraba South, had left the PDP where he served as Deputy Minority Leader in the Senate and joined the ruling APC where he has been rewarded with a governorship ticket

Also Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi, Imo East Senatorial District, who was elected on the platform of the PDP had gone to the Labour Party.

So far, the membership configuration in the Senate across party line stands thus: APC 61, PDP 38, NNPP three, YPP two LP one APGA one, vacant seats three, totalling 109 .

In the House of Representatives, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, seriously lamented the development in his first address to honourable members after their resumption from both “Easter” and “Sallah” breaks which spilled over to political parties primaries ahead of 2023 general election.

The speaker blamed the “delegate system” for the loss of the return bids of many legislators in the recently concluded parties primaries. He said that they foresaw the problem which was why the House earlier opted for “direct primaries.”

Some political observers have also argued that either out of “omission” or “desperation” the two houses of the National Assembly did not read the 2022 Electoral Act Amendment bill carefully before its passage. One continues to wonder how the National Assembly excluded “statutory” delegates in the conduct of primary elections of all political parties which they too are part and parcel of.

Those who strategically positioned themselves from the executive arm of government to decide who takes over power come 2023 were challenged by those who are far way from the executive branch of government through the legislative arm of government.

In an interview with THISDAY, the General Secretary of the Campaign for Democracy, Ifeanyi Odili, said he was not surprised at the turn of events. He added that he would not be surprised if the PDP should form the majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives in the next few days.

He said, “The bitter rivalry between the governors at the federal lawmakers is not healthy for our democracy. The Electoral Act should be amended to discourage the monetisation of the electoral process that would determine candidates of political parties.

“It is highly unfortunate that the current situation is eroding the institutional memory of the parliament as new crop of lawmakers would be taking over and starting learning the process of lawmaking.” Odili added.