The New Political Porting and Nigeria's Fair Weather Politicians. Femi Ojo

The interesting period in Nigeria's polity has not ended and the new political honey moon has just begun with the recent victory of the opposition political party at the just concluded March 28 Presidential polls. The trending thing in our polity is the ongoing senseless political porting majorly from political characters that have hitherto praised, worked and associated with Peoples' Democratic Party and indeed Mr. Jonathan. These are men and women who are not driven by any ideological believe but who are driven by the idea of politics of the belly. 

The new political absurdity currently happening in our polity is the wrong timing of the current mass defection majorly of PDP politicians to the opposition political party that just defeated the incumbent government at the Presidential election. This mass defection therefore calls for a great concern. When a party loses a major election in other advanced climes, it is a time for deep reflections and post-election analysis of what went wrong. It is a time of restructuring, an opportunity to sit down with all the proximate political actors and identify the factors that they would have considered made the outcome to be what it is. This is also a time to provide a formidable and articulate opposition that will keep the victorious political party on its toes but alas! What we currently see in our clime is senseless, untimely and open betrayal of their former political party.

I am not convinced that that those who recently defected to All Progressives Congress after the electoral loss of President Jonathan were driven by any genuine love for change and the love for the country, rather I think majority of them and others that will follow this shameful action  are driven by the fear of political obscurity in the next political dispensation and the fear of impending personal economic doom - what thrives well in our country is political industry, from where politicians have made  glutinous fortunes for themselves in exchange of privation for the masses of Nigerian people. I also want to believe that Mr. Jonathan has recently seen the faces of his fair weather friends, sure many shocking characters will show up after the April 11th, governorship elections. Mr. Jonathan therefore needs to get prepared for more surprises as he is about to live a lonely and private life after May 29th, 2015.

The All Progressives Congress should be very weary of these latter days, self-applauded and power-seeking politicians who are currently defecting to its fold. The party should not misconstrue it as a confirmation of its new political strength in the country but these new political defectors and the ones that will come after must be treated with 'caveat'. They have come to join for the sake of sharing the spoils...hope, they will not be frustrated and disappointed if APC sincerely make good its promise of "no business as usual" in our polity.

Another dangerous thing about the new political porting is that this new trend is capable of making our polity a one party state. Nigeria at this period needs to nurture our democracy and the beauty of democracy is in its characterization with diverse opinions and strong, articulate and formidable opposition that will serve as a guiding voice to those who govern. A formidable opposition is actually what the country needs in the next administration and this can better be articulated through a viable opposition party. One fear that I have about those who may be privileged to work in the administration of the incoming government is that, there may be possibility of those who may abuse their access to power by way of activating the beasts in them for selfish agenda. It is the existence of a viable opposition that can check that possibility. Therefore those who will remain in the PDP should seize the moment, reorganize, mend fences, review its internal dynamism, reach out,  if necessary and if it becomes difficult for the party to give a strong oppositional voice, the party may form a mega alliance with many other not too popular political parties to play the role of the opposition. Above all, I expect the masses of our people to stand firm, resolute and strong against any future oppressive government should there be an absence of strong and serious opposition in the next administration.