Reps: Intrigues of PDP lawmakers’ defection

 

Speaker Animu Tambuwal, Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha

In this piece, JOHN AMEH takes a look at the recent defections within the House of Representatives as the 7th Assembly gradually winds up

For the second time in about a year, the tables have turned around again at the House of Representatives as the Peoples Democratic Party has lost its grip as the majority party. This has offered cheery news to the rival All Progressives Congress, which has become the major beneficiary of PDP’s misfortunes.

Caught in the web of defections with a few weeks to the general elections, things are, indeed, not looking good for the PDP in the House. This is the fallout of the December 8 primaries of the ruling party, which left most PDP members without return tickets to contest the postponed polls. Many of them simply opted for the APC, giving the opposition party another opportunity to celebrate.

Suddenly, the main opposition party has jumped from around 152 members prior to the December primaries to 179, pushing the PDP down to 162 members. The balance of 19 members is distributed among the Social Democratic Party (10); Labour Party (3); All Progressive Grand Alliance (3); Peoples Democratic Movement (2); and Accord Party (1), making a total of 360 members.

On Wednesday, January 14 alone, 8 PDP members left the party, all alluding to alleged “manipulation and dissatisfaction” with the conduct of the primaries of the party. Four of the eight joined the APC while the other four pitched their tents with APGA, SDP and the PDM.

But this was an exodus foretold. The urge to leave the PDP has always been there for many of the members, who felt that the party has not treated them fairly, especially during the primaries.

The lawmakers had bargained for what they called “automatic tickets” but most of them lost out to intrigues orchestrated by the leadership of the party and some state governors. Matters got worse in the weeks after the October 28 defection of the Speaker of the House, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, then a PDP member, to the APC, to contest the governorship seat in his home state of Sokoto. Tambuwal’s defection was not on account of denial of automatic ticket. He merely actualised his plan of returning to his roots as an opposition politician.

However, the Speaker’s defection reawakened the desire of many PDP lawmakers to pitch tent with other parties and explore other opportunities. Some of them did not defect before the primaries because they hoped that the party would reconsider its stance.

But, as it turned out after the primaries, most of the serving lawmakers crashed out in a number estimated to be over 150 across political parties. The hardest hit of course, was the PDP. With the primaries decided, the enraged PDP members were left with no choice than to jump ship. Surprisingly, some notable pro-President Goodluck Jonathan elements in the House lost out at the primaries and they still cannot understand why. One of them, Mr. Bitrus Kaze, admitted that he was so frustrated that he chose to opt out of the primaries.

Kaze, a vocal party man and supporter of Jonathan in the House, is from Plateau State. He will not be at the House in the next assembly as he was edged out of the primaries.

Kaze confirmed that PDP legislators were demoralised because the party, governors and the Presidency reportedly did not “reciprocate” the sacrifice they made for the PDP over time.

He said, “Let me tell you the truth; members are demoralised. Many members are not happy; there is nothing to reciprocate their gesture and support for the party over time. The congresses leading to the primaries were flawed; there were so many complaints in nearly every state. As a result, some members did not even contest. It was that bad.”

It will be recalled that in January 2014, Kaze and other vocal PDP lawmakers coordinated a group in the House, National Unity Group, to confront the APC lawmakers over the latter’s threat to stall (filibuster) the passage of the 2014 budget.

The NUG, a coalition of members across party lines, had the PDP, the Accord Party, Labour Party and the All Progressive Grand Alliance lawmakers in its fold. The group helped to neutralise the threat of the APC members.

An anonymous and angry PDP member said, “Morale is very low and for many of us PDP members, we are not happy. A lot of things went the wrong way due to the manipulation of all the congresses where the party, using the governors, schemed many members out.”

Another disgruntled member recalled that when the APC used its members in the House to “orchestrate all sorts of shenanigans” against the PDP-led Federal Government, PDP lawmakers in the House did everything within their powers to defend the government.

“However, there has been no favour done to us; we lost out. Some members were not even allowed to contest the primaries because they were told pointedly not to waste their time,” another lawmaker stated.

Questions have been asked as to what use the latest defections will be, since it will not guarantee the ex-PDP members return tickets in the APC or other parties. The primaries have since ended and the submission of the names of candidates to INEC has closed. INEC has long published the final list of candidates. The defectors foresee victory for the APC ahead and are looking up to chances of being safer to be with the a party they consider to be a likely winner in the long run.

But, more importantly, the defectors are a way of paying back the PDP for the pain the party supposedly caused them. It is expected that their supporters back home will vote against the PDP, in line with their decision to dump the party.

What an opportunity this scenario has provided for the APC, being the main beneficiary, to overthrow the PDP once again as the majority party in the House. In December 2013, precisely on the 18th, a group of 37 PDP members defected to the APC on the floor of the House, taking the caucus leadership unawares. As the majority party at the time (it has been in the majority since 1999 anyway), the PDP had 208 members. The loss of 37 members reduced its numerical strength to 171 members.

On other hand, the APC, which prior to the defection of the 37, had 138 members, suddenly jumped to 175 members! It toppled the PDP but had hardly settled down to reorganise the positions in the House when litigations halted further actions on any matters associated with defections.

In the months that followed, the APC lost some members to the PDP again, and fell back to its position as the leading minority party. But, the tables have turned again in favour of the APC after the primaries. With 179 members to PDP’s 162 on current standing, there is no confusion over which party is in the majority.

One surprise beneficiary is the SDP, a party that had no member in the House before, but now rose steadily from Ground Zero to become the third largest party in the House. The party controls 10 members from a combination of defectors from the APC and the PDP. Same applies to the PDM, which now has one member, a move away from being without a member before.

The House adjourned on Wednesday, January 14, for the postponed February 14 and 28 polls. What to expect ahead? Much depends on the outcome of the polls which have now been postponed to March 28 and April 11. If the APC wins the presidential election and picks many state governorship seats and National Assembly seats, the defection gate from PDP to APC will be further thrown open. This will certainly lead to calls for the restructuring of the leadership positions in the House, particularly positions like Majority Leader, Chief Whip, Minority Leader and so on. Even if the APC does not win widely at the polls, on current ranking, there will still be calls for restructuring in the House because of its 179 majority leadership.

However, if the PDP retains the presidency and posts an impressive outing at the polls, it is unlikely that more PDP members will want to leave the party. This is because the reason for the growing number of defections is self-centered in the first place. It is neither love for the APC as a party, love for country, love for the voters, nor a desire to serve the people based on principles.

It is the same for all the members, whether they are in the PDP, APC or SDP. There are lawmakers, who have changed parties three times in the weeks to the primaries and after the primaries.

The PDP caucus in the House appears unruffled by its waning numerical strength. In an interview with our correspondent, the Deputy House Majority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, described the defections as “inconsequential.”

The lawmaker from Delta State merely reminded the reporter that the issue of defections in the House was still before the courts.

Ogor said, “‎This issue is inconsequential because the PDP is clearly in control. The courts have said the status quo should remain.”

seems the fate of the PDP as the majority party in the House hangs in the balance. Will there be more defections in the weeks ahead? Is the House inching towards having the APC, the hitherto Minority party, as the majority party in the remaining months of the 7th Assembly and the next assembly? Nigerians can’t wait for the elections to take place.