By John Ogunsemore
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Dele Momodu said those defecting from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were driven by fear and not love or belief in President Bola Tinubu.
The Ovation publisher stated this as a guest on Channels TV‘s ‘Politics Today’ programme on Wednesday.
Daily Sun reports that a gale of defections hit opposition parties on Wednesday, with many defectors linking up with the ruling APC.
On Wednesday, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his immediate predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and Kano South senator, Kawu Sumaila announced they were joining the APC after quitting PDP and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) respectively.
Reacting, Momodu said the ruling APC was using coercive tactics to poach the opposition politicians.
According to him, the defectors were driven by fear rather than a belief in Tinubu’s leadership.
Momodu said he was not surprised by Okowa’s defection as the 2023 VP candidate of the PDP has been “under serious harassment in recent times”.
He said, “What would surprise me is if President Bola Tinubu truly believes people are joining the APC because they love him or because he is doing fantastically well.
“What people are doing now is a game of survival; gone are the days when we used to boast that going to prison made one a martyr.
“We once admired the likes of Nelson Mandela, MKO Abiola, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo for enduring detention in the name of principle. These days, nobody wants to go to detention.
“Everybody wants to stay at home and talk about the money they’ve made from politics — name one politician who has not been harassed by either the EFCC or the ICPC at some point.”
Momodu added, “For me, it’s clear that this government’s strategy is ‘If we can’t persuade you, we’ll force you.’ And for now, that force appears to be working. But politics can change in 24 hours.”