Amidst the gale of defections that have trailed some opposition political parties in the country, Senator Adams Oshiomhole has taken a dig at a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar to author a book on the issue of defection, because he has more experience.
The former governor of Edo state spoke on Tuesday on Channels Television programme ‘Politics Today’, as criticism intensifies in the country over the recent defections of dozens of opposition leaders to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Just this week, three senators from Kebbi state left their party, the PDP, for the APC amidst suggestions that more politicians from the opposition are planning to join the ruling party.
The senators are Adamu Aliero, representing Kebbi Central Senatorial District, Yahaya Abdullahi, representing Kebbi North Senatorial District, and Garba Maidoki, representing Kebbi South Senatorial District.
Recall that the governor of Delta state, Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy and all the members of the state House of Assembly, had last month dumped the PDP, in what political pundits described as the biggest gains for the ruling APC.
The development has generated intense fears, that the country is gradually sliding into a one-party state, even as key opposition leaders such alleged that people are being forced to defect from their political parties. APC has denied the allegation.
Reacting, Oshiomhole, a former APC National Chairman slammed Abubakar, for being a serial defector, asking whether he was also coerced to do so.
Since 2007, when the he had a problem with his former principal, Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, the former number two citizen had defected many times, recent suggestions indicate that he’s preparing to dumped the PDP, the party on which platform he contested the 2023 Presidential election due to the internal crisis rocking the party.
According to Oshiomhole, It’s wrong for Abubakar and others to suggest that those defecting to APC were being forced to do so, noting that the former vice president is among those who “started defection” in the country.
“When, as a sitting vice-president of Nigeria, he decamped from PDP to ACN, which is now part of APC, was he courted by no state at all?
“Was he (Abubakar) courted by ACN, which was then led by Bola Tinubu – Asiwaju Tinubu – a non-state president at the time?”.
“Was Atiku Abubakar coerced by Tinubu to come and join us in ACN?” he asked. “Did ACN coerce Atiku Abubakar to leave Obasanjo and PDP to pick our ticket and run as president?”
Abubakar’s first defection happened in 2006 when he dumped the PDP for the Action Congress, AC, due to the clash he had with former President Obasanjo at the time.
He rejoined the PDP in 2009, moved to the APC in 2014, and returned to the PDP again in 2017, under which he contested twice as presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023.
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