Defected governors overheating the polity, says NDF

By Rachael Maza

The National Democratic Coalition (NDF) yesterday stated that chief among the factors overheating Nigeria’s polity is the brigandage of some political office holders, particularly state governors that have placed themselves not just above the extant laws of their own state, but also above the Constitution and the pronouncements of law courts.

According to a press statement issued yesterday by its President, Comrade Philip Agbese, it said “We are specifically referring to the governors that defected from the People Democratic Party ( PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

It said these men embarked on the illegality of securing mandates from one political party and delivering the same mandate to another political party without recourse to the majority of the electorate in their states, who braved the odds and the elements to vote them into power.

“It is easy to trivialise this immoral act and dismiss it as high level politics, but the issues goes beyond morality because it is not just a breach of trust but also violation of the law. The Supreme Court that brought Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Ameachi, to power was clear in this matter. The court ruled that it was the political party and not individual that wins elections.

“This was why Celestine Omehia, who ran for election, was shoved aside for Amaechi, whom the PDP favoured as its candidate. This is why period spent in office by Omehia counted as part of Amaechi/PDP tenure during his first term, thereby allowing for election in that states to fall within the same period for other states.

“We are thus not comfortable that these men, who elected to oversee the affairs of several millions others, can easily breach the law as they have done and expect to walk free. Where then is the morality of jailing artisans who fail to keep their own ends of bargains if the defected governors are allowed to walk free?

“What right do we, as a society, have to continue to demand that the everyday man respect contracts and agreement if there is no solemnity in something as weighty as the mandates that electorates collectively gave to these turncoats?