The umbrella organisation of all
northern socio-cultural
associations, the Arewa
Consultative Forum, ACF, has
welcomed the defection of five
governors from the ruling
People’s Democratic Party, PDP,
to the opposition All Progressive
Congress, APC, saying that the
move had effectively created two-
party system which would provide
clear choices for the voters in the
country.
ACF’s position on the defection of
the governors was contained in a
statement signed by the National
Publicity Secretary of the forum,
Mr Anthony Sani, Wednesday.
The governors who ditched their
former party for the APC included
Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Rabiu
Kwankwaso- Kano; Murtala
Nyako-Adamawa; Magatakada
Wamakko-Sokto and Abdulfatah
Ahmed of KwaraState.
Governor Aliyu Babangida of Niger
State and his counterpart in
Jigawa, Alhaji Sule Lamido, who
were expected to decamp with
their other colleagues made a
sudden U-turn on the issue.
Babangida said that he would wait
for the conclusion of on-going
peace talks with President
Goodluck Jonathan before
deciding on the next step to take,
while Lamido claimed that he
would not leave the house he built
for strangers to occupy.
Lamido who argued that he was
one of the foundation members of
the party was also said to have
retreated to get a soft landing for
his two sons now being detained
by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC over
alleged corruption charges.
However, Sani said, ”the defection
of five PDP Governors to APC is
democracy in action which allows
players to change their political
strategy towards declared goals
when the need arises.
”ACF sees the unfolding events as
a healthy development towards
emergence of a viable alternative
platform for the polity,considering
that democracy without viable
opposition is a sham.
”You would note that ACF has
been hankering for a two-party
system that can provide clear
choices for the voters. Before
now,the multi-party practices
have not provided Nigerians with
clear choices (as they were)
painfully designed and laboriously
erected by the political parties,
precisely because the political
parties have been clones of one
another.
”Consequently,the choice has
been reduced from which political
parties can deliver on the promise
of democracy to which of the
political parties has the capacity
to win elections in a political
economy that enables government
to determine who gets what, why,
where, how and when.
”ACF,therefore, hopes that the
unfolding political dynamics will
lead to the evolution of two
political parties which are far-
sighted, sure-footed and resolute
in their determination to promote
democracy premised on triple
foundation of liberty, justice and
common decency, needed for the
development and growth of our
democracy.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/defection-pdp-govs-apc-democracy-action-acf/