SOME of the major aspirants for various offices in the 2011 elections have moved from one party to another in the search for acceptable platform. The ease with which they moved and adjusted in their new party is an indication that there is to differentiate one political party from another, writes Assistant Editor OLAYINKA OYEBODE

IT is 11 years since the Fourth Republic was founded. At inception, it held out much promise and the three political parties were seen as the vehicle to lead the country to democracy. Today, a lot has changed. Since the beginning of the dispensation little to differentiate one political party from another.

This is a clear departure from what obtained in the First Republic when the major political parties of the era- Action Group (AG), Northern People’s Congress (NPC), National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) and the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), had clear –cut ideological positions, which they pursued vigorously both at the party level and at the level of governance. One of the major causes of the split in the AG was ideology. While Chief Obafemi Awolowo adopted democratic socialism, the Akintola faction was opposed to it. Zik and the NCNC opted for pregmatic socialism while the NPC was conserctive.

The five prominent political parties in the Second Republic also had some ideological posturing which reflected in the content and character of the parties. In the Third Republic, where for the first time, the country experimented with two party structure, and which were registered by the government, there were some distinction in the policies and ideologies of the two parties- The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC). The government itself described one as a little to the left and t he other as a little to the right.

Many believe that that was the last time political parties in the country truly operated along ideological line. For, the experience with five political parties under the transition programme of the late General Sani Abacha did not allow for any clear cut ideology, since the five were established to serve one purpose-adoption of the late ruler as consensus presidential candidate.

When the General Abubakar Abdusalami transition kicked off with the registration of political parties in 1998, efforts were made by different political camps to register parties that would have distinct ideological standing. But , somehow, the first three major parties that were registered did not have much distinction, as the focus was on political parties with centrist approach.

Many believe that the foundation for the faulty ideological base for the parties was as a result of the manner of their evolution. Both the All People’s Party (APP) and Alliance for Democracy (AD) were formed by politicians who were also part of the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They only added and subtracted a few clauses from the manifest and constitution of the PDP to the APP and AD.

By the time more political parties were registered in 2003 and the massive registration of over 50 political parties ahead of the 2007 election, ideology had been thrown overboard as a matter of exigency.

Many believe this is responsible for the ease with which politicians now move from one platform to another without any feeling of remorse, or inconvenience.

The trend started at the National Assembly where some AD lawmakers were lured into the ruling PDP ahead of the 2003 election. The inability of the 1999 Constitution to curb the trend encouraged the development.

There were instances when national chairmen of political parties even defected to other political platform. For instance, a one time national chairman of APP, Alhaji Mahmud Waziri was made a Special Adviser in the PDP government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, another chairman of the party, Chie Alani Bankole is at present a chieftain of PDP. In similar pattern, a founding member of PDP, Chief Edwin Ume –Ezeoke, later became national chairman of ANPP. That was after a brief stint in the United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP). The list is endless.

Correspondingly, the list of aspirants who have moved parties in the last few years is endless. It includes some presidential aspirants, and countless governorship and National Assembly aspirants. Many seem to have an uncanny manner of jumping ship at the slightest provocations, they lose their movement on exigency.

Many would say however that the spate of defection of politicians in the last 11 years merely reflect the level of desperation with which many of them pursue public office. Whichever way it is assessed, it is certain that the development is a reflection of the character of the current political dispensation.

Muhammadu Buhari
Former Head of State and two-time presidential candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), General Muhammadu Buhari joined the party ahead of the 2003 general elections and emerged the presidential flag bearer of the party, where he led the party to a second position to the PDP. Having sustained his popularity among the party leaders and followers, Buhari again emerged the ANPP presidential flag bearer in 2007 and contested against former President Umaru Yar’Adua.

He raised objections to the election which returned the late Yar’Adua as President, until the Supreme Court in a split decision, ruled in favour of the late President.

The negative disposition of the ANPP leadership under Chief Ezeoke to his petition while it lasted, was said to have informed his decision to ditch the party. The party practically left him mid way into the petition because of its involvement in the Government of National Unity, which the PDP whose idea was proposed by the PDP –led government.

Buhari subsequently started working with other politicians of like minds for the possibility of floating another broad based opposition party. The development led to his romance with the promoters of the Mega Party, where he was a major stakeholder before the arrangement went awry.

The former head of State, later floated the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and will be contesting the 2011 presidential election on its ticket.

Atiku Abubakar
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had within the last three years moved from PDP to Action Congress (AC) and back to the ruling party, where he is presently seeking the party’s ticket to contest the 2011 presidential election.

While the former number two man was hounded out of the ruling party in 2006, at the peak of his feud with the then President Obasanjo. He found solace in the AC, which offered him its ticket for the April 21, 2007 presidential election.

Abubakar, like Buhari also pursued his petition against President Yar’Adua to the Supreme Court before the apex court ruled in favour of the late president. Owing to his case at the tribunal, the AC could not participate in the GNU, but as soon as the case was over, Abubakar started exploring avenues to return to the PDP. He eventually ditched the AC earlier in the year and formally rejoined the PDP on whose platform he hopes to realize his presidential ambition.


Chris Okotie
Pastor of the Household of God and founder of the Fresh Democratic Party (FDP), Rev Chris Okotie ran for the presidency on the platfrom of the Justice Party (JP) in 2003. He later established the FDP on which platform he contested the 2007 presidential election. he has again emerged the candidate of the party for the 2011 presidential election.

Isa Yuguda
Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda, who is currently seeking a re-election to the seat he first won in 2007, had contested the election in 2007 on the platform of the ANPP. He defeated the PDP to ascend the seat. Midway into his administration, the former minister consolidated his marriage to one of the daughter of the late President Yar’Adua, in what many regarded as a ‘political arrangement’. He later cemented the relationship with the first family by defecting to the ruling PDP. His deputy who refused to defect along with him to PDP was impeached, but was later restored following judicial intervention. Having picked up the PDP nomination form, there is a possibility of the governor, competing against his deputy, who is also seeking the governorship seat on ANPP platform.


Mahmud Shinkafi
Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Mahmud Shinkafi, like Yuguda, was also elected into office on the platform of ANPP, before defecting to PDP mid way into his tenure. Ahead of his coming to PDP, Shinkafi had also married the daughter of former military President Ibrahim Babangida. Shinkafi is currently seeking a second term ticket on the platform of PDP.

Ikedi Ohakim
Imo State governor Ikedia Ohakim came to power on the platform of the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), having defected from the PDP ahead of the 2007 election. He later rejoined the PDP, on which platform he is seeking re-election as Imo State Governor. Former President Obasanjo drowned whatever justification the youthful governor would have had for his defection , when he told a crowd of PDP supporters in Owerri that the party had obtained a promise from the governor that he would return to the ruling party after his election. Not a few people were jolted by the revelation.

Theodore Orji
Like Ohakim, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State was elected governor in 2007 on the platform of PPA. He along side some PDP members had left the ruling party to join PPA at inception. His predecessor in office and founder of PPA, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, had shown preference for him and went out of his way to ensure his success at the poll. But the two soon fell apart and when persecution arose in the PPA, Orji sought for solace and found one in the All progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) which welcomed him to its fold with pomp and pageantry. The romance did not last long, as the governor headed for the PDP shortly after his former principal, Kalu, rejoined the ruling party. Many believe the governor ditched APGA for PDP in order to avert being rubbished by the ruling party. He has since picked the PDP nomination form ahead of the party’s primary.

Abiola Ajimobi
Senator Ajimobi was a prominent member of the AD in 1999, on which platform he got elected into the Senate. When a section of the party joined other groups to form AC in 2006, he was a front runner for the party’s Oyo State governorship ticket. He left the AC in protest against the selection process and secured the governorship ticket of the ANPP for the governorship election in 2007. He lost to the incumbent Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and pursued the case to the Court of Appeal, which upheld Alao-Akala’s election.

He is back in ACN now and is seeking nomination for the 2011 governorship contest.

Ibikunle Amosun
Renowned accountant and former PDP member of the Senate, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, sought for the party’s nomination for the 2007 governorship election but lost out. He later joined ANPP on which platform he contested and lost the 2007 governorship election in Ogun State. He has since ditched ANPP and joined ACN on which platform he is seeking nomination for the 2011 governorship election.

Ayo Fayose
Former Ekiti governor and now a senatorial aspirant of the Labour Party (LP) in the state. Fayose was elected governor of the state in 2003, but was impeached in 2006 in a controversial manner. He later teamed up with the AC during the Ekiti State rerun governorship election in 2009. Prior to that, he had identified with the PPA.

He formally joined the LP earlier in the year and is seeking the party’s nomination for the governorship ahead of the 2011 election.

Femi Pedro
Former deputy governor of Lagos State, Chief Femi Pedro, sought the governorship ticket of the AC for the 2007 election before leaving for the LP on which platform he contested and lost the 2007 Lagos governorship election.

The former bank chief later joined the PDP on which platform he will be contesting the 2011 governorship election

Mohammed Kumalia
Hon Kumalia was ANPP member of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2007 and was the Minority Leader. He made an unsuccessful bid for the party’s governorship ticket in Borno for the 2007 election , but lost out. He later defected to AC on which platform he contested the governorship election. Today, he has again, moved to the PDP in search of the governorship ticket for the 2011 poll.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/politics/15909.html