A representative sample of Nigerians from the Diaspora Organization Worldwide (NIDOWW) blamed the slow growth of national democracy on the frivolous defection of the political class to another party.
Diasporas spoke in a teleconference with the Nigeria News Agency (NAN) to mark Democracy Day 2021 by Nigerians living abroad.
Dr Henry Oguine, a Nigerian based in Europe, who decried the “crossed carpets” by politicians, said it often exposed weaknesses in the 1999 constitution.
According to him, politicians, especially governors when elected on the platform of a political party, must respect their party’s manifesto.
Oguine said: “A governor who moves from one political party to another should automatically lose his post before doing so.
“It is sad that no state in Nigeria has a constitution, what they have are state laws under federative units, of which states are supposed to have constitutions.
“State governors are supposed to be the chief security officers of their states, but as the constitution is, a governor cannot give command to a police recruit without the recruit requesting permission to his divisional police officer (DPO).
“The DPO then asks a police commissioner, who in turn asks the inspector general of police in Abuja, so it’s like revising our constitution to curb defections.”
He suggested that the constitution should be revised to move forward, not only to control the excesses of officials, but also to ensure accountability in governance.
Likewise, a Nigerian based in Dallas-Texas, Dr Richard Nwachukwu, secretary-general of the Organization of Nigerian Nations (ONN), said the fight against defection will move Nigeria forward.
“The defection, especially on the part of governors, is totally unwarranted because it mocks the democracy of our nation.
“This defection must be fought by the constitution; if you want to switch from your political party to another, you have to resign or hold another election.
“If your voters support you within the framework of the political platform that you want to challenge, you must not unilaterally renounce the mandate that the voters gave without their consent.
“Leaving voters in the cold doesn’t make sense; we don’t have to abolish the constitution to do this right, the constitution can be changed to achieve it, ”Nwachukwu said.
At the same time, Dr Chibuzor Ubochi, President of NIDO-UK South, stressed the need to amend the constitution, in order to ensure effective checks and balances in governance processes.
Ubochi said: “The Nigerian economy is still a subsistence economy and we believe that what voters need is mainly food and security, hence the need for the political class to rethink their ideologies.
“Their ideologies in public service should reflect what is best to meet the needs of defenseless citizens, such as the unemployed, retirees, truck pushers and those without food.
“Governors should therefore think about providing basic equipment before considering their selfish movements to move from one political party to another,” he said.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that the teleconference was initiated by Mr. Obed Monago, President of NIDO-Americas
NIDOWW included sections of Nigerian diaspora organizations in Europe, America, Asia, Oceania and Africa, which tapped and galvanized the professional and financial resources of Nigerian citizens across continents to promote their homeland. (NAN)
