The All Progressives Congress has blamed defections from opposition parties on internal mismanagement rather than any action by the ruling party.
Speaking on Arise TV on Friday, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the challenges facing parties like the Peoples Democratic Party and the African Democratic Congress were self-inflicted.
“When you stressed to them that the problem really is internal to them, it is their own failure to govern themselves effectively, that’s creating the atmosphere and the panic for their members to exit their party,” Morka said.
He explained that political parties are vehicles for political competition, and when they fail to provide a platform for members to contest and aspire, members naturally look elsewhere.
“When politicians join a party, they join the party because they want to be able to compete for power, run elections. But when that platform, that vehicle becomes immobile or inoperable, unable to provide that platform on which people can aspire and compete, then, you know, it ceases to be the party properly so-called, and I think that’s the problem they’re dealing with,” he said.
Morka insisted the APC was fully committed to democratic norms, keeping its doors open to all Nigerians.
“We’re doing nothing untoward when it comes to our democratic consolidation. As a matter of fact, we are doing more than is expected of a political party to deepen democracy,” he added.
He also criticised opposition spokespeople for being overly focused on the APC rather than promoting their own parties. “The freedom of choice of citizens to enter and exit from a political association like the APC and, you know, for that matter, like the ADC and the PDP. You know, I listened to the two spokespersons for the PDP and the ADC.
“You know, listen, I was expecting that they would come up with some theory or some evidence to verify that the APC was in fact engaged in any sort of conduct that was unbecoming of a political party in a democracy or that was overreaching the values and tenets of democracy to, you know, create any sort of, you know, crisis within their parties,” Morka said.
His remarks come against the backdrop of repeated criticisms from opposition parties over high-profile defections.
In the past year, governors, including Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Peter Mbah of Enugu, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, and Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, have switched allegiance to the APC, triggering political realignments in their states.
The ADC has described these defections as evidence of personal convenience and lack of political conviction among the governors.
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