Defections: Nigeria too complex to submit to one-party agenda– LP

The Labour Party (LP) in Lagos State says Nigeria is too complex to “submit” to the whims and caprices of one political party.

The LP Secretary in Lagos State, Mr Sam Okpala ,said this in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday in Lagos.

He was reacting to gale of defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Okpala, said: “With the gale of defections, it will look as if Nigeria is descending to a one-party state but I am convinced that Nigeria is too complex for that to happen.

“Nigeria is an edifice that cannot submit to whims and caprices of one political party. So, opposition party will still remain.”

He said that politicians dumping opposition parties for the ruling party were only doing so because they never believed they could to win elections again except being helped by federal might.

According to him, though Nigerian Constitution allows freedom of association, the way many politicians jump from one party to another betrays lack of principle.

“The reason why we have this is because we don’t play politics of principle and ideology.

“Politicians here jump from one political platform to the other in order to further their political interest.

“People belong to a political party not because they are in tune with the ideology, philosophy and manifesto of that party.

“In Nigerian politics, a political party is only a means to power not because people feel that what the party stands for is in line with their own philosophy.”

He said that until Nigeria democracy reaches full maturity and politicians begin to play politics the right way,” we will continue to see this”.

Our correspondent reports that some governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives and state houses of assembly elected on the platform of PDP and LP have dumped the parties for APC.

Our correspondent recalls that PDP’s Peter Mbah of Enugu State and Douye Diri of Bayelsa recently joined the growing number among other federal and state lawmakers.

The Akwa Ibom Umo Eno formally left the PDP and joined the APC in early June while Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta and his predecessor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and all members of the PDP in Delta defected to the APC.

Similarly, aside recent defection of LP’s Sen. Kelvin Chukwu, representing Enugu East Senatorial District, to the APC, four members of LP Caucus in the House of Representatives defected to the ruling APC in December.