Alliance for Democracy Senator, Obanikoro, defects to PDP
From Mohammed Abubakar (Abuja) and Clifford Ndujihe (Lagos)
ASENATOR on the platform of the Alliance for democracy (AD), Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, yesterday announced his defection to the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP).
Obanikoro cited the factionalisation of AD and the "endless conflict" between the government of his state, Lagos, and the federal authorities, for his decision.
However, the recently elected national chairman of AD, Chief Adebisi Akande wants the Senator to first step down from the assembly and then test his popularity through a by-election.
Akande's claim to the leadership of AD is still being contested by another faction led by Chief Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa.
A rally of the Lagos PDP is scheduled for the Nigeria Airways Ground, Ikeja, at which Obanikoro and some other persons are billed to formally switch camps.
The PDP-dominated Senate erupted with joy yesterday as Obanikoro handed his letter of defection to the Senate President, Chief Adolphus Wabara.
Obanikoro said: "My dear state has gradually become a hotbed of factional politics, culminating in an endless conflict with the Federal Government.
"This protracted confrontation has brought about a punishing distraction and neglect of Lagos State by the Federal Government", he added.
Obanikoro said that given that over 50 per cent of the state's infrastructure was Federal Government interest, politics of confrontation and grandstanding on key local and national issues would not move the state along the lines of progress.
"Added to this, the AD has painfully remained a party troubled by unmitigated crisis resulting from factional interest," he said.
He further stated that the party had been divided along factional lines, which not only weakened it, but has glaringly contributed to its instability.
As soon as the letter was read, jubilant PDP members led by Senator Udo Udoma, Senate Leader, Dalhatu Tafida and Senator Tawar Wada, led the defector from the opposition ranks to the PDP section amidst boos from the opposition members.
Wabara invited Obanikoro for a handshake, which instead became a warm embrace.
Briefing newsmen later, Obanikoro, who was flanked by Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe and Presidential Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, said that his loyalty was to Lagos State and he must ensure that the interest of the state was not short-changed.
"The party in-charge in Lagos does not believe in constructive engagement," he added.
He said the lofty ideals of the founding fathers of the state had lost their novelty.
Ogunlewe, who himself defected to the PDP from AD, said that almost every ethnic group in Nigeria had a stake in Lagos.
"Where they are sharing the cake of this country, my state should be there," he stated.
Senator Ita-Giwa on her part, described Obanikoro's switch as "a welcome development".
But Akande yesterday, challenged Obanikoro to vacate his seat and test his popularity.
Akande, who was at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to attend a meeting of the commission with political party leaders, however, told reporters that it was within the democratic rights of Obanikoro to leave for any party of his choice.
He said: "It is permitted in a democracy that you can belong to a party and you can change your mind at any time and go to another party.
"But the only thing honourable for such a person is to drop the ticket which he picked away from that party".
Akande continued: "He (Obanikoro) contested the election, not in the name of Obanikoro, he contested the election in the name of Alliance for Democracy. He should be manly enough and then allow a by-election and for him to come and re-contest in whichever party he likes".
Asked what would happen if Obanikoro refused to vacate the seat, Akande said: "Until we become men of honour in the country, many of us may refuse to do what is right".
He said that the AD would appraise the situation and handle it in the prevailing circumstances.
He, however, ruled out the option of embarking on a recall process, because according to him, it would amount to an exercise in futility. This is because of the tendency of the ruling PDP to turn Nigeria into a one party state.
His words: "One thing you don't know is that the present leadership of the ruling party is interested in a one-party state and so even if you involve yourself in the process of recall, the leadership of the Senate will make sure that they frustrate your effort because they are working towards a one-party state in Nigeria."
On Akinfenwa faction, Akande said: "We are talking to them, they are our people and as long as we share the same core values, we shall belong to the same party".
However, it was learnt that some AD senators, members of the House of Representatives and chieftains in Lagos may declare for PDP on Monday.
The plan, which had been in the works since January this year, will be actualised at a rally of the Lagos PDP scheduled for 10a.m. at the Nigeria Airways Ground, Ikeja.
A member of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the party that is organising the rally said that all PDP governors in the Southwest geo-political zone and other leaders are expected at the event.
"The aim is to showcase the size of the party in Lagos and what we have done so far," he added.
What can be described as a floodgate for defection of legislators to rival parties was flung open in May 2001, when four national legislators elected on the platform of AD decamped to PDP. They survived all legal and political attempts to make them lose their seats.
The legislators were Senators Wahab Dosunmu (Lagos West), Brimoh Yusuf (Oyo North) and Fidelis Okoro (Enugu North) and a member of the House of Representatives, Gholahan Okunneye (Oshodi/Osolo II).
The foursome cited unending crisis in AD, which they traced to alleged overbearing influence of the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on the party for their action.
Their move raised a constitutional question, which was later answered by the court.
The leadership of AD had sought their resignation or removal from the National Assembly in line with the provisions of Section 68(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution for a fresh election to be conducted.
The Section states: "A member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if: (g) being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected."
The AD leaders asked the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission to declare the four seats vacant.
But the decampees fought back and justified the retention of their seats based on an addendum to the same Section 68(1) (g) of the Constitution.
The provision states that a decamping member of the National Assembly shall lose his seat provided that "his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored".
By implication, it means a lawmaker can quit his party and retain his seat if he was doing so on the ground of division in the party.
The defected lawmakers won a suit instituted against them by AD at the Federal High Court, Lagos on this ground.
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