Dele Momodu, a former presidential aspirant and the publisher of Ovation magazine, says the wave of political defections to the All Progressives Congress (APC) may be giving President Bola Tinubu a distorted view of his administration’s performance.
Speaking on Soni Irabor Live, a programme on News Central on Saturday, Momodu criticised the lack of ideological grounding in Nigeria’s party-switching culture, saying it contributes to public antagonism.
“If you are joining a new party, you should be able to tell us what that party has done for the people, but everywhere you turn in Nigeria, people are crying. I have never seen this level of bitterness,” he said.
Read also: Defections to APC driven by Tinubu’s performance, not mere politics – Otu
Momodu expressed concern that President Tinubu may not be fully aware of the current hardships many Nigerians are facing.
“I’m not sure that the president actually knows what is going on. If you see all the governors decamping to your party, won’t you think you are the greatest thing that happened to Nigeria? You can’t blame the man if he feels that way,” he said.
The former presidential aspirant also raised legal and constitutional issues surrounding defections, emphasising that Nigeria’s constitution clearly states that any elected official who defects should vacate their seat, but this is rarely enforced.
“We’ve thrown our constitution into the Atlantic Ocean long ago. Any man who is tired of his political party should be ready to forfeit everything and take it in good faith,” Momodu said.
Read also: Defections to APC are out of free will and not coercion, says Presidency
He further criticised the frequency and ease of cross-carpeting among politicians, describing it as an unfortunate reflection of the country’s political culture.
“You can wake up with APC, and in the evening, you are in the PDP, then the following morning, you are back to APC,” he said.
His comments follow a similar sentiment from Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former political adviser in the presidency, who on Thursday described the APC as a “political refugee camp” overwhelmed by defectors either seeking office or fleeing prosecution.
