Zamfara: Constitution doesn’t provide defection as grounds to unseat elected Governor – APC chieftain tells PDP

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC), Abdulahi Sani Shinkafi, has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the 1999 Constitution as amended, does not provide defection as grounds to unseat an elected Governor, contrary to the opposition party’s suit at a Federal High Court, seeking to remove Governor Bello Mattawalle from office for defecting to the ruling APC.
Briefing journàlists yesterday in Abuja, Shinkafi, who is a close associate of Governor Bello Mattawalle, also cited Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, which he said grants the Governor Constitutional immunity from any civil or criminal proceeding until he leaves office through the means provided by Section 180(1) or 188 of the 1999 Constitution.
He argued that if the intent of those that drafted the Nigeria’s Constitution was to prohibit defection of Governors to other political parties, it would have been expressly stated like in the case of lawmakers, adding “The provisions of the 1999 Constitution are very clear on the grounds for the removal of an Executive Governor of a State from office and defection to another political party is not one of such grounds”.
Quoting Honourable Justice Aderemi on page 179 of AGF v. Atiku Abubakar, Shinkafi who was the Secretary of Board of Trustees (BoT) of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) before his defection to APC with Governor Mattawalle, said it is extremely laughable that PDP which celebrated defection of Governors Samuel Ortom and Godwin Obaseki of Benue and Edo States respectively from APC to PDP with elaborate fanfare, would muster effrontery to seek removal of Mattawalle from office for joining APC.
In reference to the Supreme Court ruling in the case between Atiku Abubakar V. AGF, Shinkafi said once a candidate is elected as President or Vice President, or Governor or Deputy Governor, he or she automatically drops the ticket upon which he or she rode to power and becomes a Governor for everyone in that state.
“He is therefore free to associate (and decamp) as he likes to any political party. The Supreme Court judgement on Zamfara did not proscribe APC as a political party in the State. It only prohibited it from sponsoring candidates at the election (and not from receiving members to its fold subsequently).
“Perhaps, the PDP is assuming that it continues to sponsor Mattawalle in office as Governor. No! That sponsorship ended the moment Governor Mattawalle was elected. In fact, to stretch the matter further, belonging to a political party is only for the purpose of election for President, Vice President, Governor and Deputy Governor. So, a Governor, upon being elected, can even decide not to belong to a political party”, he said.
He challenged PDP to also file suits to remove Governors Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and Ben Ayade of Cross River State, who had earlier defected to APC, even as it expressed concern over PDP’s sudden wake to isolate Governor Mattawalle’s defection for litigation. He wondered why PDP did nothing to stop Matawalle’s defection after his known grievances over the last one year.