Solomon Dalung, a former minister of youth and sports, claimed during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, in response to the most recent wave of defections, that recent defections into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are motivated by self-interest, specifically worries about protection from alleged corruption cases. Dalung’s remarks came hours after Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the state’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structure formally joined the APC. Oborevwori justified the move as being in Delta State’s best interests, but Dalung disagreed with the governor’s justification.
Dalung stated, “The wave of defections or the gale of defections of the political elites who are repositioning themselves either for survival, protection, or evasion of prosecution cannot be taken seriously by students of Nigerian politics.”
Dalung emphasised that defections, especially by elected officials, should not be justified based on personal interests but rather be left to the electorate to decide.
“It is the electorate that should decide if an elected officeholder should defect,” he added, critiquing the current trend of political movement.
Governor Oborevwori, however, has argued that the defection of the Delta PDP to the APC would benefit the state, aligning it with the politics of the federal government.
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