Defecting from one party to another, unconstitutional – Senator Bassey

The senator representing Cross River South in the Red Chamber, Gershom Bassey, has described as unconstitutional the ongoing spate of defections of some politicians from one political party to another.

Bassey, who is also the Chairman, National Assembly caucus of Cross River said in a situation where one occupies an elected position in a particular political party, such a person should resign from that position if he is defecting.

He reasoned that the constitution only allows cross-carpeting where there is serious crisis or division in the party of the defector.

Speaking, Tuesday, in a local radio station, monitored in Calabar, Bassey said, “I don’t think defections are healthy. I think they are unconstitutional, illegal and wrong.

“It’s just that sometimes, people don’t bother to test these things where they should be tested but I think they are unconstitutional and the law does not allow it.

“If you are elected on the platform of one political party, you should leave the mandate when moving to another party. The mandate was given to the party and not to individuals and so if I want to leave my party to another, I should leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mandate behind and re-contest the election to get a fresh mandate on the platform of my new political party.

“That is the way democracy, our electoral laws and our constitution are designed. I don’t think it is healthy at all.”

According to him, “People just move from one party to another even when there is no division and the problem is that nobody has gone to court. The laws are clear but must be enforced. There is supposed to be a Supreme Court pronouncement on this but to the best of my knowledge so far nothing is before them.”

On the deplorable Calabar-Itu federal highway, Bassey, who is also the Senate Committee Chairman on Federal Emergency Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) said, “the Calabar-Itu road has been awarded to three different companies – Julius Berger, one of the Chinese companies and recently to Sermatech.

“The assurances that I have been given by the Minister of Works is that they were using Sukuk funds. They will make sure that they fund the dualization of that road.

“Now that the contracts have been awarded and approved by the Federal Executive Council, I expect that the only issue left is for them to release funds to the contractors so that they can go back and start serious work on the road.”