The defection tea party is wrapping up, but not in peace. The newly elected All Progressive Congress (APC) chairman, Adams Oshiomole is out for defectors’ blood as he seeks their immediate vacation from public office.
It seems out of order for a presumed leader of the party who was said to be canvassing for peace among party members weeks ago, the same person who cannot strategically maintain democracy in a civilized manner. Recent development reportedly quotes Oshiomole asking Saraki to vacate his seat as the senate president and referring to the seat as an ‘APC crown’, saying the seat should only be occupied by an APC member.
Also, Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom, is going through fire as well for defecting to PDP. A strategic plan was played by eight APC seating reps in the state House of Assembly, shunning the two-third majority lead required in every session and boycotting PDP reps from making it to the session. It is hard to deduce Benue not being in a looming crisis days to come.
Events in recent times makes it seem impossible for APC to be democratic if it faces defeat during the upcoming presidential election in 2019, as it is quick to over-look the order of the rule of law and imposing it’s sentiments on members who defected to PDP by tagging them enemies of the party instead of categorizing the defection as a pursuit of a different ideology in the political field.
Democracy is the choice Nigerians made and should be respected despite the differences faced in the ruling party. Democracy must therefore guide every decision and strategy and to a very large extent, a strategic plan will speak louder for the ruling party than the high-handedness it has imbibed to punish defectors.
