The gale of defections and democracy

Yes our democracy is still developing as one may say even in the US, where democracy has a long history and the parties are formed on well rooted ideologies, defections are usual, sometimes very near or after elections, the main parties the Democrat, and the Republican or even Independent have witnessed cross carpeting between and […]

Yes our democracy is still developing as one may say even in the US, where democracy has a long history and the parties are formed on well rooted ideologies, defections are usual, sometimes very near or after elections, the main parties the Democrat, and the Republican or even Independent have witnessed cross carpeting between and among them by prominent politicians, that is why in 2009 the TIME Magazine compiled a list of the Top 10 Political Defections in US history.  
The defections are not the problem, however, because it is part and parcel of politics but unlike in the developed democracies of the world where defection from one political party to another involves the person concerned to denounce his political ideology and joining a rival party, the case of Nigeria is different, but you may ask on what ideology are Nigeria political parties built on? None! So it is a free game for our politicians as there is virtually no fundamental difference base on ideology between the PDP and APC.
In India for example in 1985 they promulgated a law of anti defection, the law was made with the specific intent of ‘combating the evil of political defections’, which made prominent politicians decamped three times between parties within a fortnight.
So for now Nigerians have to put up with the realities of politicians decamping from one party to another until the time when we would have political parties that are base on ideologies, it is sad the only party we may say is base on a specific ideology, the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) is not yet registered by INEC, even though the case is still dragging in court, or in the short run, we may promulgate a law like the Indian legislation of 1985 to stop these unnecessary, evil and mischievous defections we are witnessing after the victory of APC at the polls.

Rabiu Shamma, Chairman Kano Youth Coalition for Advocacy and Development <[email protected]>;