Year 2024 was full of twists and turns from all fronts, including the political sphere.
Political manoeuvring, opening of merger talks among opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections as well as defection of prominent politicians from their parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) shaped the year.
As it is notable in Nigerian politics, after the 2023 general elections, many defections were recorded. A movement political pundits described as realignment of interests and forces.
In the outgoing year, most of the defectors described the APC as the only platform committed to addressing the various challenges bedeviling the country.
Weekend Trust reports that the defection of politicians from one party to another has become a tradition in Nigeria’s political landscape. Pundits said those who did so had various reasons.
Some of the notable politicians who have since found a new home in the ruling party within the year are:
Ramalan Yero
He is a former governor of Kaduna State. Who joined the APC, five months after leaving the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The former governor, who served the Kaduna people from 2012 to 2015 on the platform of the PDP, joined the APC on February 12, 2024.
Giving reasons for his defection, Yero said, “Since the very day we announced our defection from the PDP, many political parties contacted us, including the ruling APC. We met and discussed the matter. Therefore, from today, February 12, 2024, myself and representatives of other political associates have decided to join the APC.”
Anyim Pius Anyim
The former Senate president who won an election on the platform of the PDP in July 2024, dumped the PDP for the ruling APC.
He was presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, where he told newsmen that his defection was informed by the need to collaborate to address the avalanche of challenges bedeviling the country.
He was led to the Presidential Villa by Imo State governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodinma, alongside other prominent leaders of the APC.
Emeka Ihedioha
Similarly, a former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, who served the state between May 29, 2019 and January 14, 2020, later dumped the PDP.
Ihedioha, a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, announced his resignation from the PDP in a letter addressed to the chairperson of the party in his Mbutu Ward in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of the state. The letter was dated 23rd April 2024.
Ihedioha explained that he had contributed his quota to the development of the PDP since its formation in 1998.
Daniel Bwala
The former spokesperson for the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala, equally dumped the party for the APC within the year, saying he was committed to working for President Tinubu and has no apologies for doing so.
Bwala said he was intrigued by President Tinubu’s proactiveness in tackling issues, including the cost of governance. He hastened to remind the public that he had always been on Tinubu’s side, and will continue to support him.
On November 14, President Tinubu approved the appointment of Mr Bwala as his Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications (State House).
This was disclosed in a statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
Sylvanus Nguji Ngele
He is a former member of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) and senator who represented Ebonyi North at the National Assembly on the platform of the PDP.
He dumped the party in May 2024, alongside other prominent leaders of the party in Ebonyi State such as former member representing Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency and former governorship aspirant in the 2023 general elections, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga.
Ngele and others were received into the APC at a ceremony in Abakaliki.
Speaking at the event, Ngele noted that their major reason for dumping the PDP was its inability to produce a governor from the Izzi clan, which APC was able to achieve, in line with the existing charter of equity in Ebonyi State.
Senator Ezenwo Onyewuchi
The senator representing Imo East on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi, equally dumped his party for the ruling APC. Senator Onyewuchi’s defection letter was read on the floor of the red chamber by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary.
The Imo senator based his communication on Section 68(1g) of the constitution.
LP, PDP rep members defect to APC
On December 4, 2024, four members of the House of Representatives from the Labour Party (LP) and one from the PDP defected to the APC.
They are: Tochukwu Okere (Imo State), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawu Esosa (Edo) and Erthiatake Ibori-Suenu (Delta) who defected from the PDP.
In October 2024, the APC gained an additional seat in the House of Representatives following the defection of Abubakar Gumi from the PDP.
Similarly, a member of the House of Representatives, Salman Idris, defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the APC. He represents Kabba Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency.
Their letters of defection were read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, during plenary.
It’s bad omen for democracy – Analyst
But a political analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, in a telephone chat with Weekend Trust said the issue of defection has gained traction in the country, but described it as a bad omen for the country’s democracy.
He said it is a worrisome trend that should be checked with very stiff legal measures to nip the situation in the bud, stressing that opposition leaders ought to remain in their parties to keep the ruling party in check.
Ojo said there should be an unambiguous legal framework that clearly defines sanctions against the perpetrators no matter how highly placed with a view to stemming the tide.
“It’s actually a bad omen for democracy. These are people who run a kleptocratic government when they eventually get elected. They don’t mean well for the country.
“They dump their former parties to new ones because of their selfish interest. The movement from opposition to the ruling party is actually alarming. This is not good for the country’s democracy,” he said.
Ojo added that the defections which are as a result of political scheming and interest have no good effect on the masses which the politicians seek to administer.