By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja {Sundiata Post} – Noble Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka has faulted the comments of the ruling All Progressives Congress {APC} after defection of its members to the Peoples Democratic Party, {PDP}.
Soyinka who was specific about the party’s reactions that trailed the defection of Ortom, warned that anybody who leaves a political party for another should not be crucified for making such decision.
The Nobel Laureate stated this on Thursday in Lagos during the presentation of his new book ‘Who Is Watching The Watchmen?’ while reacting to the gale of defection the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is battling with.
Recall that the gale of defection facing the APC saw three state governors exiting the party in one week for the major opposition Democratic Party (PDP), this is apart from the departures of 51 federal lawmakers from the party.
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom announced his exit from party on 24 July, while Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara and Senate President Bukola Saraki defected from the APC on 31 July.
And barely 24 hours later, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state ended his APC membership.
But the federal government and ruling APC have since dismissed insinuations that the exits of the governors and lawmakers would dim the chances of the party in the 2019 general election.
Sundiata Post recalls that shortly after Ortom’s defection, the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, apart from saying that the governor’s defection will worsen the insecurity situation in the state, he also said that Ortom had performed poorly in the state, insinuating that the APC would have lost if the governor represented the platform in next year’s election.
On his part, Nigeria’s minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, said the Senate President, Saraki, would not be missed as, according to him, the party gained nothing from him.
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