Constitution Amendment: Defection must attract loss of seats – CNPP tells NASS

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called for Constitutional Amendments that shall make it illegal for anyone elected on a particular political party platform to cross-carpet to another party while still in office, as a measure to stem the trend of defections from one political party to another by elected public office holders.

CNPP, in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu, noted that to deepen democracy, engender social justice and improve the confidence of the electorates in the democratic process, those who cross over from their party to another after winning an election should be made to lose their seats.

According to the statement, the CNPP queried, “how can the voters continue to have confidence in the electoral system and our democracy when people they entrusted to represent them abandon them halfway into their tenure for personal gains?

“Where is the place of ideology in politics? Is politics about personal interest above the interest of the people we hold power in trust on their behalf?”, the CNPP further asked.

The statement added that “for Nigeria to develop, her electoral process must be safeguarded and the confidence of the people guaranteed to reduce voter apathy during periodic and rescheduled elections.

“At the least, it is immortal for a person duly elected on the platform of a political party to defect to another without first resigning. It is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul.

“Nigeria must at this time begin to make a conscious effort to promote politics of ideology for the lives of the masses to have a meaning.

“The National Assembly should, therefore, use the opportunity provided by the current plan to further amend the 1999 Constitution to outlaw the act of defection to any party while in office without first resigning, as there is the urgent need to end the now irritating political prostitution in the country.

“We are all aware that the current trend of defections is about protecting one’s loots and scheming to take vintage position ahead of the forthcoming generation elections for mundane gains.

“Today, all that is required is for a corrupt politician to change party to either evade prosecution, end ongoing prosecution or to slow it down for a soft landing verdict.

“The world is watching and the current trend will further worsen the country’s position on the global corruption perception index and we can get this remedied during the ongoing constitution amendment process”, the CNPP observed.