A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and National Coordinator of The Alternative Movement, Otunba Segun Showunmi, yesterday, during a public presentation of two books written by a senior Journalist, Mr Ike Abonyi, frowned at the frequent defection of politicians.

The book launch, which brought top politicians in Abuja together, was titled: ‘Wadata Wonders: Memoirs of a Partisan Journalist,’ anchored around the plaza housing the PDP national secretariat.

Speaking at the event, however, Sowunmi wondered why politicians defect from one political party to another solely for personal gain.

He said that those who jump from party to party are the same ones who say, ‘How come parties are not like those strong political parties built in South Africa?’

According to him, “For a sustainable political party to be built, you have to have an enduring discipline. You cannot be the one who hub from one platform to another and still be the one who wonders why political parties cannot be sustained”, he said.

The crusader of the National Opposition Movement Coalition (NOMC) urged Nigerians to pray for politicians who lack a clear political ideology. “Look in the mirror you might see the problem. Their hypocrisy stinks to high heaven”, he added.

The event, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, drew the attendance of several PDP personalities and other politicians, our correspondent reports.

The PDP heavyweights in attendance include former PDP presidential aspirant, Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, who was represented by the Director-General, Mr Emmanuel Agbo; and former Minister of Information, Chief John Nwodo.

Nwodo, who delivered the keynote at the occasion, spoke on the topic, “How Did We Get Here?”, an ex-ray of Nigeria’s political and democratic governance process to date.

Vanguard News