Implications of Rep members’ massive defection

Last Tuesday, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), lost 37 of its members in the House of Representatives to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Joshua Egbodo writes that this has however not affected the majority equation which is still in favour of the APC.
Between marginal and majority Though the APC retains the majority membership in the lower legislative chamber, but the dip in its majority has been of serious concerns and has heightens political trends in the country.
Of the number, four members, all from Oyo State defected to the ADC, 32 to the PDP, while chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Hon.
Emmanuel Orker-Jev simply announced his resignation as a member of the APC, but did not say he has moved to any other political party.
The defecting members cited division in the APC, and other issues as reasons for quitting the party.
Same day, a member of the PDP, Hon.
Tony Nwulu, later dumped his erstwhile party for the United Peoples Party (UPP).
Just after the announcement of their massive defection by Speaker Yakubu Dogara, and to the wild jubilation of members of the opposition PDP on the floor, the defecting members told journalists covering the House that their defection was just the “first batch” of the list of defectors, saying more of their colleagues will be leaving the APC in the coming days.
APC and false hope Coordinator of the defecting lawmakers, Hon.
Razak Atunwa, said; “That (the defection), constituted the first batch of those who signified that they would leave the APC and therefore you should expect in the next few days, defecting members of the APC on the floor of the House of Representatives.
And having said that, it is important to put on air some of the reasons why we felt it is important to leave the APC.
Firstly, this was a party that we all laboured for, a party that we all joined together from our various parties, came together pre-2015, campaigned heavily for in 2015 and we formed a government.
“We came together because we believed in what have been proposed to the people of Nigeria.
We believed in change, we believed that this country needs to be better ruled, we believed that the youth of this country deserves better, we believed that the men and women of this country deserved better.
“We believed that there ought to be a better method in social integration, we believed that job opportunities must be provided, we believed that there must be respect for the rule of law, we believed that there must be a better way for improved education, we believed in all this ideals so therefore we came together to form the APC.
“But, sadly no sooner have we formed government in May 2015 that the party set itself on the course to derail itself and that derailment continued up till today, and continued in the APC.
So already some of us have been agitating for us to go back to what brought us together and those are the ideals that brought us together.
“The party is not listening, rather the party embarked on victimization and criminalization of its members.
Those who it perceived as opponent, those who it perceived as not following the line , those who its feel as having divergent views and therefore it set itself on that course of defections, and that defection is what engulfs the first step today.
“Secondly within the party itself, some of us who were aggrieved came together and brought our grievances to the floor; we were castigated, we were castigated as being nobodies, and we were sort of seen as being brainwashed, therefore putting all that together, particularly the interest of the country,…and the fact that the APC (leaders) are deviating from the ideas to see Nigeria propelled to a higher status, that is to see Nigeria advanced democratically, to see the economy improving, then we felt that if those our concerns are being ignored then we are to take a step.
We took the step today like I said 37 members left the APC as a first batch more people will leave the APC in the nearer future”.
Gbajabiamila’s court option Also speaking later, Caucus of the APC in the House, led by the Majority Leader, Hon.
Femi Gbajabiamila however said the party may be encouraged to go to court over the defections, even as he expressed regrets over the loss of some of his party’s members.
He said “it is always sad when losing even one member.
Those members were part of the family and I would say very quickly, they are also welcome at any point in time they realize the errors of their ways.
“But let me also say that I want to commend the remainder of members of the APC in the House, who have remained steadfast, who have remained committed to the party, for me that is what politics is all about, particularly in a representatives democracy, where people elect you on a particular platform for a particular reason.
“We are all aware of the Supreme Court decision in Ameachi’s case, where the Supreme Court said and made it abundantly clear that it is, in Nigeria today, it is not the person that is elected, it is the party that people elect.
“We (APC) tried to build politics of ideology in this country, and that is why I commend our members who have remained to the ideology of this party.
If ideology was entrenched, we would not see the way people cross-carpet in this country today.
In advanced democracy, hardly do you hear about such a thing so I commend our members for remaining in the party”.
Constitutional breach? Relying specifically on section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution, the lawmaker argued that “in the case of PDP vs Adekunle who was a member of the House of Representatives, the meaning of ‘division’ has been clearly stated by the supreme court and the so called R-APC that everybody is chanting does not fall within the interpretation of the Supreme Court, therefore we would be encouraging the party to take the necessary steps, not because we are against the members, but so that we can further enrich democracy”.
What goes round comes round Many has, however, queried Gbajabimaila’s stance on this, describing his assertions as hypocritical.
This was so because there have been series of defections, though at no time was such as massive as last Tuesday’s in the life of the current assembly of the House, from the opposition PDP to the ruling APC, all to the jubilation of the Majority Leader.
His action, analysts have therefore described as acting in tune with the proverbial saying that “when it enters your mouth, you chew in excitement, but when in your eyes, you shout that it is pepperish”.
However, if threats of more defections as issued by those who have dumped the ruling party, as the first move, with hopes that more are lined up to move, then events of the coming days may as well be of great concerns to the APC.
However, initial reactions of the party suggested adamant with allusions that those leaving were of no electoral value for the party.
Tough posture or desperation But the APC in spite of the tough posture of its national chairman and former Governor of Edo State, Mr.
Adams Oshiomole, less than 48 hours after the defections, summoned the remaining members of the APC in the House, to a meeting that lasted hours at the party’s National Headquarters in Abuja, apparently to persuade them not to leave the party.
There were even allegations that they were promised automatic come-back tickets of the party, if they abide.
What is on the minds of many followers of the developments now is what happens, if more party members, true to the assertions by the earlier defectors, moved out of the APC, especially in large enough number to make the opposition PDP the majority party in the House? Will Dogara muster the courage and will to alter the composition; especially at it affects the position of Gbajabiamila? Doing so, if the twist occurs, to many may be suicidal, especially that the APC appeared very unsettled with him over his emergence a as Speaker in the first place.
Surely, events of the coming days will show the new direction of things in the lower legislative chamber of the National Assembly