By Sufuyan Ojeifo
I have watched with
amusement the hollow rituals of “comic tragedy” or tragicomedy, which the
defection of politicians from one political party to another typifies. The
polity has witnessed, in recent times, movements by some politicians who were,
doubtless, respected leaders of their people up until their sudden volte-face
and gravitation to other political parties, characteristically for obvious
reasons. Anytime I see them on television or read about them in the print
media announcing, with glee, their decision to jump ship because they have
suddenly realised how bad their original party has been and how disciplined and
forward-looking their newfound party is, they cut a pathetic picture to the
sight and create a sardonic impression in the mind.
What they, perhaps,
know but which they do not give a heck about is that they do not enjoy the
respect of well-meaning Nigerians, including, most of the times, their
followers, especially those of them who can hold their own without the usual
compromising handouts from “the lords of the manors.” This dimension
reinforces the age-long subjugating notion of stomach infrastructure, which
has, only recently, been so elegantly described and tagged in the aftermath of
the 2014 Ekiti governorship election that swept Ayodele Fayose into power.
Nevertheless,
political leaders’ movements have characteristically thrown up the loyalty
question. As supposed leaders, they have failed the critical test
of loyalty by wavering in their commitment to the party on which platform they
have been voted into elective offices. Rather than consistently and
persistently inspire confidence in their followers, they have disconcerted
them, dealing a strong blow to their pristine sense of conservative attachment
to the party. It thus becomes crystal clear that the followership that
has remained unwavering in its support is, indeed, the nucleus of the tribe of
enthusiastic and enchanted party faithful, not the opportunistic political
elites who, always wanting to be politically correct, lack the discipline to
promote and embrace any well-defined ideological standpoint, which the
followership can relate with or approximate under their tutelage.
