ON BEN AYADE’S SHAMELESS DEFECTION FROM THE PDP TO THE APC – TO WHAT END REALLY?
May 20, 2021 | News
With the recent announcement by the Cross Rivers State Governor, Ben Ayade, of his decision to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Thursday (20/05/21) morning, during a meeting with Six APC Governors who visited him at the Government House,
-By Zik Gbemre
ON BEN AYADE’S SHAMELESS DEFECTION FROM THE PDP TO THE APC – TO WHAT END REALLY?
For every party defection by a Nigerian politician, there is always an ulterior and hidden motive behind it…
What REALLY happened to have given rise to Ayade’s defection and to what end?…
This is not the Ben Ayade that I used to know very well as a shrewd businessman and former Shell (SPDC) Consultant in Warri…
The level and manner with which party defections happen in Nigeria, is a clear indication of the sort of political parties and crop of politicians we have been breeding as a nation…
With the recent announcement by the Cross Rivers State Governor, Ben Ayade, of his decision to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Thursday (20/05/21) morning, during a meeting with Six APC Governors who visited him at the Government House, I must say this is yet another demonstration of political rascality and irresponsibility by an apparent shameless politician that is without conscience, and who has made the Government space his career purse.
The only reason he gave for his defection to APC, according to reports, was to supposedly assist the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to fix Nigeria’s problem, and also to return Cross River State to national politics. That to me, is the most flimsy and unfounded excuse that any sane politician would claim to be the reason for defecting from a party that he won several elections under, and enjoyed the fringe benefits of public office for years.
Let us be reminded that Ben Ayade has been the Governor of Cross River State since 29th May 2015. He ran successfully for that Office of Governor in April 2015 on the platform of the PDP. Before that, he was a member of the 7th Senate of Nigeria still under the PDP. And was re-elected as Governor of Cross River State, still under the PDP in the 2019 gubernatorial elections. Now that his second term in Office as Governor is drawing close to an end, Ayade just decides to defect from the PDP party he has been in for years, to the ruling party of the APC.
The question is, what went wrong? What really happened to have given rise to Ayade’s defection? To What end has he defected? And what is the real motive behind this sudden irresponsible action by Ayade?
In my opinion, may be Governor Ben Ayade has some skeletons in his cupboard, and financial cases that are unknown to the public, which he believes might put him in danger way towards the build up to the 2023 general elections, and after he leaves office as Governor. So, defecting to the ruling APC, is just a subtle way of being in the good books of the Presidency and leaders of the ruling party, and apparently avoid being probed for any wrong doing while in office.
This, to me, is more a logical reason for his sudden defection to the PDP. And not his supposed claim of wanting to help the Buhari-led administration to address Nigeria’s problems. That story does not sail through because with the increasing insecurity and harsh economic conditions in the country under the ruling APC, no normal and sane politicians would want to associate, or have anything to do with this FAILURE of a Federal Government. Besides, Ben Ayade has not been able to address all the pressing problems in his State, so of what help is he hoping to offer to the Presidency? I was told Ben Ayade is still owing old pensioners their months of arears now, and I am not talking about retirees that have been without their gratuities. So, what advice does he intend to give to the Buhari APC-led failure of a Federal Government?
Fact is, this is not the Ben Ayade that I used to know very well as a shrewd businessman and former Shell (SPDC) Consultant in Warri, Delta State. Which was where he first made his wealth to build the popular Mega Hilton Hotel Ekpan near Warri then, before he was elected Senator in his State and later Governor. The Nigerian dirty politics has indeed changed the Ben Ayade I used to know then, to a man that currently has no principles and integrity. Everything to him now is all about making the Government Space his milking cow and purse.
With the plot of who gets to be in the Government space come 2023 already ongoing, I am not surprised to see most of the PDP Chieftains trying to defect to the ruling APC. While these moves have been going on unnoticed, it became apparent when Governor David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State shifted party base to the APC. And not too long, the Nigerian political atmosphere was thrown into a frenzy over some photos, which went viral, had suggested that former aviation minister and PDP chieftain, Chief Femi Fani Kayode (FFK), was plotting a move back to the ruling APC. A development he has come out to deny, leaving many in the dark as to where his current allegiance lies.
It is also funny to see that the APC has offered ‘night registration’ to PDP members ashamed to defect during the day. That is the sort of politicking we see becoming common place in Nigeria. We can see that these politicians clearly do not have any shame, and they are practically birds of the same feathers.
The truth is that, “party defections”, which have practically made us a laughing stock as a nation in the eyes of the international community, has become the order of the day. The level and manner in which this development is presently happening in Nigeria, is a clear indication of the sort of political parties and crop of politicians we have been breeding as a nation. No wonder we are where we are today; a nation plundered and almost helpless. Where the smallest index of development is often on the negative (usually to satisfy some ‘selfish’ interests in high places), even after decades of unprecedented wealth from crude oil, natural gas and condensate sales, which exclude that, unaccounted for in the past 60 years of oil and gas exploration and production.
Political party defectors are usually regarded as “political prostitutes” without political principle, morality, conscience and lacking in political ideology to champion the cause of leadership for the well-being of the society and political development of the country. That a man defects from the PDP and teams up with the APC or vice-vicar, does not make him a responsible politician overnight. In fact, if people find it easy to cross carpet from one political party to another in our political system, it only means there are no clear-cut and defined ideologies and this makes them all the same.
Zik Gbemre.
May 20, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
ON BEN AYADE’S SHAMELESS DEFECTION FROM THE PDP TO THE APC – TO WHAT END REALLY?
For every party defection by a Nigerian politician, there is always an ulterior and hidden motive behind it…
What REALLY happened to have given rise to Ayade’s defection and to what end?…
This is not the Ben Ayade that I used to know very well as a shrewd businessman and former Shell (SPDC) Consultant in Warri…
The level and manner with which party defections happen in Nigeria, is a clear indication of the sort of political parties and crop of politicians we have been breeding as a nation…
With the recent announcement by the Cross Rivers State Governor, Ben Ayade, of his decision to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Thursday (20/05/21) morning, during a meeting with Six APC Governors who visited him at the Government House, I must say this is yet another demonstration of political rascality and irresponsibility by an apparent shameless politician that is without conscience, and who has made the Government space his career purse.
The only reason he gave for his defection to APC, according to reports, was to supposedly assist the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to fix Nigeria’s problem, and also to return Cross River State to national politics. That to me, is the most flimsy and unfounded excuse that any sane politician would claim to be the reason for defecting from a party that he won several elections under, and enjoyed the fringe benefits of public office for years.
Let us be reminded that Ben Ayade has been the Governor of Cross River State since 29th May 2015. He ran successfully for that Office of Governor in April 2015 on the platform of the PDP. Before that, he was a member of the 7th Senate of Nigeria still under the PDP. And was re-elected as Governor of Cross River State, still under the PDP in the 2019 gubernatorial elections. Now that his second term in Office as Governor is drawing close to an end, Ayade just decides to defect from the PDP party he has been in for years, to the ruling party of the APC.
The question is, what went wrong? What really happened to have given rise to Ayade’s defection? To What end has he defected? And what is the real motive behind this sudden irresponsible action by Ayade?
In my opinion, may be Governor Ben Ayade has some skeletons in his cupboard, and financial cases that are unknown to the public, which he believes might put him in danger way towards the build up to the 2023 general elections, and after he leaves office as Governor. So, defecting to the ruling APC, is just a subtle way of being in the good books of the Presidency and leaders of the ruling party, and apparently avoid being probed for any wrong doing while in office.
This, to me, is more a logical reason for his sudden defection to the PDP. And not his supposed claim of wanting to help the Buhari-led administration to address Nigeria’s problems. That story does not sail through because with the increasing insecurity and harsh economic conditions in the country under the ruling APC, no normal and sane politicians would want to associate, or have anything to do with this FAILURE of a Federal Government. Besides, Ben Ayade has not been able to address all the pressing problems in his State, so of what help is he hoping to offer to the Presidency? I was told Ben Ayade is still owing old pensioners their months of arears now, and I am not talking about retirees that have been without their gratuities. So, what advice does he intend to give to the Buhari APC-led failure of a Federal Government?
Fact is, this is not the Ben Ayade that I used to know very well as a shrewd businessman and former Shell (SPDC) Consultant in Warri, Delta State. Which was where he first made his wealth to build the popular Mega Hilton Hotel Ekpan near Warri then, before he was elected Senator in his State and later Governor. The Nigerian dirty politics has indeed changed the Ben Ayade I used to know then, to a man that currently has no principles and integrity. Everything to him now is all about making the Government Space his milking cow and purse.
With the plot of who gets to be in the Government space come 2023 already ongoing, I am not surprised to see most of the PDP Chieftains trying to defect to the ruling APC. While these moves have been going on unnoticed, it became apparent when Governor David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State shifted party base to the APC. And not too long, the Nigerian political atmosphere was thrown into a frenzy over some photos, which went viral, had suggested that former aviation minister and PDP chieftain, Chief Femi Fani Kayode (FFK), was plotting a move back to the ruling APC. A development he has come out to deny, leaving many in the dark as to where his current allegiance lies.
It is also funny to see that the APC has offered ‘night registration’ to PDP members ashamed to defect during the day. That is the sort of politicking we see becoming common place in Nigeria. We can see that these politicians clearly do not have any shame, and they are practically birds of the same feathers.
The truth is that, “party defections”, which have practically made us a laughing stock as a nation in the eyes of the international community, has become the order of the day. The level and manner in which this development is presently happening in Nigeria, is a clear indication of the sort of political parties and crop of politicians we have been breeding as a nation. No wonder we are where we are today; a nation plundered and almost helpless. Where the smallest index of development is often on the negative (usually to satisfy some ‘selfish’ interests in high places), even after decades of unprecedented wealth from crude oil, natural gas and condensate sales, which exclude that, unaccounted for in the past 60 years of oil and gas exploration and production.
Political party defectors are usually regarded as “political prostitutes” without political principle, morality, conscience and lacking in political ideology to champion the cause of leadership for the well-being of the society and political development of the country. That a man defects from the PDP and teams up with the APC or vice-vicar, does not make him a responsible politician overnight. In fact, if people find it easy to cross carpet from one political party to another in our political system, it only means there are no clear-cut and defined ideologies and this makes them all the same.
Zik Gbemre.
May 20, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes