Supreme Court judgments, EFCC, cause of defections to APC – HURIWA

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A Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA), has disclosed that the fear of Supreme Court controversial judgments, EFCC investigation of prosecution, is the cause of the current boom in defection into the All Progressives Congress (APC) from other political parties by elected and appointed public office holders.
HURIWA, in a statement by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, on Thursday, was of the view that defection to the APC gained momentum when Justice Emmanuel Agim suo moto took up the case of the defection into APC from Peoples Democratic Party by the 27-members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to the political godfather of Rivers State, and the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
According to HURIWA, “that unrequested prayer that Justice Agim answered favourably for the Appellants who never framed such as a prayer, has provided the elixir for political prostitutes to move en masse into the political party of the president in our clime in which politically, the so-called winners of election corner all the political offices as patronage to their foot soldiers.”

HURIWA, thus, condemned the inordinate defection into APC by members of the opposition party, some of whom, the group said, are running into the ruling party for fear of EFCC’S persecution.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in the statement argued that “the Supreme Court justice’s choice of taking on a plank of a litigation that was pending at the Federal High Court, and then, said defection can only be confirmed when the defectors are registered in the political party they defected into and their registrations tendered as evidence in the court of law which contradicts what the constitution says about political office holders especially in the National Assembly or state legislature, who leave the party that brought them to power automatically loses their seats in those parliaments”.
HURIWA declared: “that controversial judgment has now made it much easier for unprincipled characters in the other political parties outside of the party that holds power at the centre to cross carpet into the national ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), believing that with their cross carpeting, their political breads would be better buttered.”
HURIWA noted Femi Falana SAN, responding to the FCT minister accusation of being too critical of the Supreme Court’s judgment on Rivers State political issues, maintained that his commentary was factual and constitutional analysis of the situation, acknowledging that ‘his views factually accurate and evidence based.’

According to Falana, “Contrary to Mr. Wike’s assertion, I did not lie against the Supreme Court.
“All I said was that the matter of the defection of the 27 legislators was raised suo motu and determined by the eminent Justices of the apex court.”
He emphasised that his comments were rooted in the fact that the issue of defection was already pending before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt at the time.
He also pointed out that the defectors had publicly confirmed their switch from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) through affidavits and video recordings.
According to Falana, “It may interest Mr Wike to know that from time to time, many respected Justices commend my critique of court decisions and my defence of the judiciary. At a recent valedictory session, a retiring Supreme Court Justice referred positively to one of my critical remarks.”
Falana maintained: “No doubt, the decision of the Supreme Court is final on defection. Their Lordships said it must be proved by producing the membership register of political parties. But my fear is that this ruling could be used by unpatriotic politicians to justify political prostitution.”
HURIWA expressed the result of the double standards by the Supreme Court is what has motivated many politicians of opposition parties seeking protection from prosecution by the EFCC and the ICPC to flee into the APC for refuge.
HURIWA noted also “After all, Senator Adams Oshiomhole said any politician defecting to APC is guaranteed protection EFCC or ICPC arrests or prosecution. He likened the APC to the refuge of sinners in which once you decamped from your party to APC, your past misdeeds are wiped away and your CV would become like a tabula rasa once more.”
HURIWA also noted that another reason for politicians who have tested power which they secured as political opposition to enlist in the ruling party is for fear of political persecution since the party that controls the government at the centre, calls the shots on who should be investigated by the two anti-corruption commissions of EFCC and ICPC. “This is because politicians in Nigeria hardly play politics by the rules of the game without stealing from the public till to sustain their high profile lifestyles and maintain the chain of supporters, surrogates and the so-called followers” the group said.
The latest high profile defectors from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress is the immediate past governor of Delta state who had very embarrassing encounter with the EFCC which obviously is one of the institutional attack dogs of the APC, HURIWA said.

Not long ago before he cleverly decided to run for cover by defecting to the APC from the PDP, EFCC operatives arrested the former governor of Delta, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, over alleged N1. 3 trillion fraud, HURIWA said.
The group added that the former governor was also alleged to have failed to render accounts of the funds as well as another N40 billion he allegedly claimed he used to acquire shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

Specifically, Okowa allegedly bought shares valued at N40 billion in one of the major banks in the country, representing eight per cent equity to float the offshore LNG, HURIWA said.

HURIWA declared: “We had earlier blamed the Supreme Court ruling on the defection of the 27-members of the Rivers State House of Assembly into APC for providing protection from litigation for these defectors who lack principles and characters because it takes a politicians with no conscience to simply walk past the political party that sponsored you to gain power to another party just because this other party is that which controls the main levers of political power in Nigeria. If their hands are clean, those politicians been blackmailed to change their party affiliation wouldn’t dare do it because how can someone explain that Ifeanyi Okowa who ran for the post of Vice President of Nigeria alongside his presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 poll- Atiku Abubakar could just move into APC if not that something is chasing him or that he is chasing something that he thinks only APC can guarantees that he gets it which to many analysts is the reprieve from EFCC’S embarrassments.

“Many others are moving into APC because they want automatic tickets to return to their current positions in the National Assembly or governorship because they believe that with the leadership of Independent Electoral Commission appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, their chances of returning back to their positions in the 2027 poll is guaranteed. Amongst these persons are the Delta state governor who has moved into APC from the PDP even after publicly denying that he was planning to do so. Tje other PDP Governors are also sympathetic to the second term ambition of Tinubu with the Akwa Ibom State governor endorsing the APC produced president for a second term in the 2027 poll that is two years away.
“Then as a reward for his support, Godswill Akpabio the surrogate of the President has assured the Akwa Ibom State governor of a second term victory. The suspended Governor Fubara of Rivers state is also been blackmailed to enlist into the APC so that his illegal suspension can be lifted. This is a bad time for democracy because tyranny is knocking at our doors viciously.”

HURIWA thinks that the many cases of illegitimate and inordinate defection from the political opposition parties by public office holders and their supporters into the APC would spell DOOM for constructive criticism and constitutional processes of checks and balances which guarantees good governance, transparency and accountability.
“This is indeed a sad time for democracy in Nigeria. Nigeria cannot afford to become a one party state,” the group said.