Politics of Decamping: A Setback To Nigeria's Democracy

Every democracy in the world has it story, from nascent to developed, developing or partially developed. 

 

The experience of the United States of America is a key example. After its independence in 1776, history has it that it took 13 years for the founding fathers to draft a working or workable constitution for the nation. America fought for its independence, and got it through blood and not through sheer good luck or goodwill as the case is in Africa and Nigeria in particular. 

 

One of the strongest foreign policies of the United States of America is its democracy, freedom and liberty. They paid the price and got it right through discipline and constitutionalism. 

 

Since 1999 that the democratic expeditions of Nigeria started; 18 years after, the democracy is still wobbling and heavily unstable, It is yet to take root or be rooted. This is as a result of too many misgivings, emerging from the activities of the politicians and political actors. It is arguable that the Nigeria's democratic practices lack ideologies. Invariably, it is also clear that it lacks integrity, strategy, principles and accepted tenets. Anything goes because of lack of rules and standards that ought to regulate the excesses of the players.  Decamping has been a factor diminishing the strength and vigor of the Nigeria democracy since its inception, as postulated. 

 

The challenge again is the weak institutions, especially, the judiciary. If the judicial system is strong and solid enough to call the players and parties to order, they would have respected the law, binding the expected democratic practice in Nigeria, as it is done in other sane climes.

 

In 2014, there was a tsunami and typhoon of decamping that hit the former ruling biggest party in Africa, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The G-5 governors left, alongside the former Speaker of the house of representatives Aminu Tambuwal, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Sam Jaja, Abubakar Baraje and  Bukola Saraki, the former Nigeria Governors Forum chairman, three ministers etc alongside their supporters. 

 

The G-5 Governors, nPDP or rAPC governors that decamped include: Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko(Sokoto),Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwada). The PDP described their exit then as "inconsequential” but that's wasn't true because it affected the strength of the party across boards, which later led to it failures in the subsequent elections. 

 

The PDP went to court to seek redress, but the court denied them justice or democratic justice was denied. The APC enjoyed the sweetest side of their decamped, because it was at the eve of preparation towards the general election. They handed over the party structures to them. They all decamped because of their selfish interest, not because of the nation. 

 

On the part of the judiciary, they failed to pass the right judgement. Despite the position of the constitution on reasons why an individual can decamp to another party, justice was denied to the PDP. Injustice was seen as justice then. This is a serious setback to the nascent democracy of Nigeria. 

 

Sequentially, in preparation to oust the ruling APC in 2019, the politics of decamping emerged again. 15 senators decamped from the APC to the PDP, while 33 members of the Federal House of Representatives decamped also to the PDP, from the APC. At the end, the PDP should was a minority party became the majority party in the both arms of the National Assembly. Like the PDP, the APC hasn't made certain similar statements "we are not losing sleep over the decamped members. No shaking, we still control 25 states out of 36". 

 

Indeed, it matters, they need to put shame aside and call a spade a spade. The PDP did same and they ended in defeat. The question now is; where is the place of progress in our democracy? The issue of decamping has affected the stability of our democratic growth. Party loyalty is put at the back, because of lascivious freedom of movement they politicians enjoyed. 

 

No nation can grow its democracy without guiding principles. The PDP and the APC are both major beneficiaries of defection. This is a huge crass danger to the nation's democracy.  As Political Scientist, I condemn this act in totality. The 37 members that decamped to other parties and the 15 senators’ defection is immoral. If I describe it as unconstitutional as it is, some will say am biased because it has been a norm in our polity. 

 

What am worried about is the place of personal interest above national interest, the place of bigwigs against the party, the question of who is more powerful, the party or the politicians? These are concerns that I am having. If nothing is done, we will end up with a rootless and directionless democracy. Politicians must be thought to be loyal to the platform that brought them to the fore. 

 

State governors shall follow suit soon, members of the state houses of representatives will also join too. Note the fact that a party used ‘decamping’ to win majority seats and elections doesn't make it a good omen in our democracy. 

 

Other nations have been laughing at Africa’s democracy. Nigeria's democratic experience to be precise in the past 19 years has been in shambles. 

 

All hands must be on deck to put these democratic expeditions in order.  The judiciary must rise up to the task. The laws must be made to work. The politicians must be educated and the constitution of the nation must be implemented, followed and effective. 

 

It is not about individuals or parties in power in particular material time, it is about the future of the nation and it's democratic worth and rating among the comity of states. 

 

The building and growing of this democracy is a collective responsibility. All citizens and critical stakeholders, technocrats and professionals, and all well meaning individuals must come together to fix this undemocratic abnormalities happening in our nation. We must stick to laid down principles targeted at democratic advancement.

Rwang, Patrick Stephen. Department of political science, federal university of Kashere Gombe state