Divided political loyalties: The bane of party politics in Nigeria

BY THOMPSON EKPO

It is rather difficult to dispute the fact that no system is self-propelled. Economical, political and indeed social systems are usually formed and operated by human beings for some set goals.

Let us take a political party for instance. It is a political organization that can be voted for in elections and whose numbers have the same aims and ideas. Edmond Booke sees a party as “a body of men united for promoting, by joint endeavours, the national interest upon some particular principle which they are all agued.”

This is not to suggest that all the members of a party will agree on all issues. Such unity of opinion is not a common attribute in any organization. Be that as it may, the rise or fall of any party depends on its members and its policy options. It follows, therefore, that when members of a party plans national or group interest above individual’s interest, the party is likely to remain strong either as a ruling or an opposition party.

The Point that is being stressed here is party loyalty. That is, the quality of being faithful in support of a party or being a true party man. Party loyalty is a veritable culture in party politics especially in advanced democracies.
While it is easy to talk about a Democratic or a Republican hard-liner in United States of America, it is not easy to boast of such party men in our party system. Hard-liners in this context refer to party men with fixed beliefs and ideas; who are unlikely or unwilling to change them. They are party members who are always prepared to sink or swim with their parties no matter the immediate gain or loss.

In other climes where the concept of party loyalty forms part of their political culture, party members rarely abandon their parties and join other parties. This is not to argue that there are no provisions for carpet-crossings in developed nations. It hardly happens especially when a party has brought a member into limelight or made the fellow what he/she is today. 

Disappointingly, the rate at which party members in our party system abandon their parties is rather alarming. It is not hard to see many of them sponsor crisis in a party primarily to create enabling conditions for them to leave the party. With this scenarist, one is tempted to assert that party loyalty is wanting in our party system.

Our party system is replete with men of divided loyalties who have strong feelings of support for two different causes. It is safe to state that divided loyalties accounted for the failure of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded presidential elections. It is recalled that many political gladiators who had rode on the crest of PDP to become Chairmen of Councils, Governors of States, Commissioners, Ministers and Senators for eight years and above abandoned the party in an ungrateful manner and joined other parties for personal gains. Before they left the party, their body languages had spoken. It was a case of timed-bomb that was waiting for detonation. It was not surprising when they finally left with two legs.

This kind of political behaviour shows lack of hard-liners in our party system. With due apology to some hard-liner politicians in the country, our party system is characterized by men who constantly seek to achieve their selfish interest; men who persistently and deliberately pursue their personal agenda, men who think of their survival more than they think of the survival of their party, and indeed men who often than not operate on the altar of greed.
Given the level of these tendencies in our political system, there is the propensity that many political gladiators may decamp to the ruling party at the centre and at the State levels. As long as one has the right to contend that such mobility is a norm in politics, we can also argue that mass exodus of politicians from one party to another will inevitably lead to political hegemony; which can be dangerous in a plural society like ours.

As we find solace in moving from one party to another, we should note that the functions of an opposition party are sine-qua-non to the conduct of Government. There is no hard and fast rule that ensures that a party will perpetually remain as a ruling on opposition party. The rise or fall of a party depends on its members as well as its policy options. Thus, party loyalty and policy options that enhance good governance are essential ingredients for the survival of modern democracies.