Is Saraki’s defection right or ill-advised?-Voxpop

Exactly a week after 52 National Assembly members left the All Progressives Congress (APC), for different political parties, embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki, announced on Tuesday evening that he has left APC for the PDP, “after extensive consultations”, alleging persecution and provocation.
Though the defection was long expected, PAUL OKAH speaks to Nigerians on the development.
Position not threatened Saraki is right to defect at the right time.
I am particularly impressed by his modus operandi, by not initially telling Nigerians the party he was moving to.
This kept many people guessing until he came up with the revelation that he was rejoining the PDP.
Though the defection was long expected, after his colleagues defected last week, on their own volition, those thinking Saraki will lose his position as Senate President are just day-dreaming.
There is no law that says that, as a Senate President, you must remain in the ruling party; whose days are numbered.
Moreover, Tambuwal decamped and still retained his office, so Saraki’s position is not threatened.
It should also be noted that he is a master of the game when it comes to Nigerian politics.
Having survived all the things thrown at him by the APC administration, including the Code of Conduct Bureau investigations, Offa Robbery saga, police intimidation and what have you, there is no way he will be afraid of the APC now.
Jennifer Ime, student
Wait and see Many of us monitoring developments in the country are not surprised at the recent decision of the Senate President to leave the APC for PDP.
My people have a saying that you don’t get rich by hustling and losing your money.
If you are selling products,but not making reasonable profits, is it not wise that you try another trade? Though he did not initially state the party he is moving to, we all knew that it was the PDP, the same party he left in 2014.
The PDP serves as the greatest opposition to the ruling party and majority in the National Assembly, so Saraki would have made a wrong calculation if he joined another party other than the PDP.
However, we should all wait and see what will happen in the coming days.
Saraki is full of surprises, so we may not know what move he may make again, so let’s watch how it plays out in a couple of weeks after their resumption in September.
Ahmed Yusuf, politician
Defection may attract victimization Saraki just made the greatest mistake of his political career by defecting from the APC to the PDP.
He should have taken a cue from the intimidations and harassment of the opposition by the present administration to maintain his peace and stay in the APC; at least for the time being.
As it is now, APC will come after him with all they have.
EFCC and ICPC will surely open his financial misappropriation charges, because EFCC and security agencies are now a threat to Nigeria democracy.
They are obviously being used by the current administration to intimidate the opponent.
Though he managed to evade the police who laid siege in his house, he should know that he is now in the eye of the storm and should expect more intimidation.
I know what I am saying.
David Mark was a Senate president and was fiercely defeated when he started facing the opposition, so God bless him if he survives the defection, but thunder does not strike twice in the same location.
Joseph Ndidi, civil servant
APC a sinking ship, PDP not better APC members should be concerned because more defections will still take place in the coming days.
The party is like a sinking ship, no one would like to stay in the ship and be drowned.
Whether we like to admit the truth or not, APC is a cursed party, because they have sunk Nigeria so low, to the extent that we are now ahead of India as the poorest country in the world.
If that does not give ordinary Nigerians any concern, then the politicians are more concerned about their people.
I would have hailed Saraki on the defection, but I conducted a short research and the result proved that he didn’t defect from APC to the PDP for the interest of the poor masses.
He was just afraid of losing power come 2019.
Therefore, I am afraid of both the APC and the PDP, because they are the same people with the same ideology of just to loot Nigeria dry.
Therefore, I am a strong advocate of an independent candidate that will salvage the country.
As he did not initially mention the party he was going to, I thought Saraki wanted to run as an independent candidate.
That would have met my expectations.
Like in 2014, any alternative is better than the APC, but even as PDP is not any better.
Christiana Njoku, Union secretary Saraki a mole in APC I am one of the people who are happy for the defection of Saraki to PDP or whatever party he is telling Nigerians, even though we were all aware of his destination.
He was a mole interested only in anti-party activities, so APC is better off without him, as he is a good riddance to bad rubbish.
His defection was nothing strange, we all knew that he was a PDP agent in disguise, so APC has just been cleared of one mole in the name of Saraki.
Moreover, how does his defection affect the life of the poor masses, myself inclusive? It should be noted that his defection and the defection of many other former APC members was all for selfish interest, so we don’t have to worry ourselves.
Moreover, the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, just said he will not lose his sleep over the gale of defections, so we should also not be bothered by the selfish mole called Saraki.
Jarafu Bello, taxi driver
Clog on APC progress Saraki was never wanted in the APC, neither was he of any value in the party.
After dissolving his state’s Excos, what is left for him, other than defection? We are not in the least surprised by the development.
He was simply a clog in the wheels of progress of the APC.
So, the party can now progress without him.
But he should be ready to face the consequences of his actions.
As he has left the party for PDP, he should be ready to voluntarily retire himself from politics.
Buhari is not like Jonathan who was cowed, intimidated and eventually caused to lose sleep in 2014.
What many people do not know is that the APC will use these spate of defections to sanitize the party and reposition it towards effective service delivery in 2019.
So,it is a blessing in disguise for members to leave the party and enable the administration to perform at optimal level, something not possible when you have the likes of Saraki and cohorts serving as clogs on the wheels of progress.
Rita Abdulrahman, teacher
Saraki welcomed in PDP Saraki’s defection is one of the best news coming out of the country in recent times, and it is very historic.
For the first time, I heard that a Senate President defected to the opposition party.
He bowed to party supremacy after three and half years of Senate presidency, as the big masquerade have exited the coven of the worst government ever in Nigeria.
His destination was not in print after his initial announcement, but we all knew were he was heading to.
According to a saying, if a road is good, you apply it everyday.
But if the road is bad, you change your destination and find a more suitable road to apply.
I commend and congratulate Saraki for leaving the rudderless APC alone.
He is welcome to PDP, the party of human beings, because we know what he can do.
Buhari and Oshiomhole can lose sleep now.
The ship with APC flag carrying “Jonah” to Nineveh is sinking in the high sea, but “Jonah” is sitting tight, while luggage are thrown overboard.
Nathaniel Mba, civil servant