Following the increasing spate of defections by politicians to a particular political party, Chairman of Labour Party in Rivers State, Mr. Deinye Pepple, has allayed fears that Nigeria will soon become a one party state.
Speaking with our correspondent in Port Harcourt, Mr. Pepple, who attributed the defections to the desire of politicians to be on the winning side, said those defecting to the ruling party , will eventually return to their respective parties, if the winning party donot offer them the opportunities they are looking for.
He said, “No matter how they defect to the ruling party, the country will not enter a one-party state because at the end of the day after the election many of them be disappointed by the time they don’t get what they are expecting in that party they will still jump out again, I don’t think their action will lead us to a one-party state”.
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Mr. Pepple, who emphasized that the defections are weakening the opposition parties from criticizing the government in power, said the development is affecting democracy in the country, as the voice of the opposition is very crucial in any thriving democracy.
“The major reason for opposition is to criticize the give in power not just criticism based on sentiment but constructive criticism and most time it helps to put the government on check but when everybody is in one party who will criticize the government any thing they do will be right in the eyes of everyone will keep quiet and before you know democracy will just die off so a one party state is not in our best interest”. He noted
On the leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party at the national level, Mr. Pepple said the onus is on the Independent National Electoral Commission, to recognize who is the authentic chairman of the party, based on the ruling of the Supreme Court.
