Former Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume has voiced concern over the growing wave of defections by governors and lawmakers from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that the trend could trigger an internal collapse if not urgently addressed.
Ndume, who represents Borno South in the Senate, spoke on Sunday night at the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe Annual Award Lecture, held at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja, where he received the honour of Most Outstanding Legislator and Advocate of National Unity.
In a candid acceptance speech that drew murmurs from the audience, the outspoken lawmaker dismissed many of the defectors as political lightweights with little or no value to add to the governing party, insisting that the APC is becoming “overloaded” with “mostly empty cargo.”
Checks by The Guardian showed that the wave of defections has intensified over the past year, leaving the opposition ranks significantly weakened.
No fewer than five governors, including those of Delta, Bayelsa, Enugu and Taraba, have dumped their parties for the APC. Also awaited is the defection of the Plateau State governor.
Ndume, in a metaphor-laden address, warned that the rising influx poses structural danger to the ruling party.
I have warned that the APC is becoming overloaded. And when you overload a ship, especially with mostly empty cargo, it risks capsizing,” he declared.
It described the defections as a coordinated attack on Nigeria’s democratic process, warning that they undermine political pluralism and amount to a betrayal of the voters’ mandate.
