Wealthy members hijacking political parties in Nigeria – Ahiakwo

A lawyer and public analyst, Justice Osai Ahiakwo, has contended that the unchecked sources of funding for many political parties in Nigeria are the reason for the perennial defections of politicians to other parties.

In a statement he signed and released on Sunday, Ahiakwo said Nigeria’s electoral system may become further discredited if it remains unable to check political parties’ excesses.

According to him, big spenders for parties may have hijacked some parties and dictate terms at will.

“Where an electoral system does not make provision for inquiry into how political parties raise funds for the sponsorship of candidates in elections and how such funds are utilized, it becomes self-evident that the system is discredited. Wealthy party members can control the affairs of the party and decide to leave at will.

“The Supreme Court held that it is only in cases of factionalization, fragmentation, splintering, or ‘division’ that make it impossible or impracticable for a political party to function, that a person’s defection to another party can be justified, allowing the defector to retain their seat for the unexpired term in the House. Otherwise, the defector automatically loses their seat.”

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Ahiakwo argued, “Except the political class learns to play the game by the rules and acknowledges that the win or loss of an election is not a do-or-die affair, the perennial defections arising from the desperation of party members will continue to surge. This trend has persisted since the first recognized defection in 1951 to date.”

He stated that the issue of defection from one party to another is addressed by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He, however, expressed relief that there is an ongoing amendment process of the Electoral Act to include independent candidates, which he believes will help curtail incessant defections from one party to another.

Ahiakwo emphasized that although the Constitution allows for freedom of association, once any politician leaves their original party for personal interests, they should automatically lose their position, whether as a governor, lawmaker, or holder of another office.

“For other politicians whose emergence as winners of elections and afterward opted to defect to another party, it reflects weakness in politics. It’s rather preposterous for politicians to display such damning attitudes after vying for elective positions and winning under a particular political platform, only to cross over to another party without any justifiable reason(s).

“This truly reflects the lack of integrity and deviation from party ideologies by Nigerian politicians,” he added.