A chieftain of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA on Abia State, Sir Chikwe Udensi has applauded the judgment of Federal High Court in Abuja sacking the Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi, his deputy and all members of the state House of Assembly who decamped from PDP to APC, saying such will bring decorum and sanity in the system.
While stating that votes belong to political parties and not individuals, he expressed displeasure with the way and manner politicians who win election under a political party cross-carpet to another.
Speaking on a radio programme, Open Parliament on Love FM Umuahia streamed live by ABN TV and Radio, Sir Udensi, a leading governorship aspirant in Abia said his party the APGA has also been affected in the past by unprovoked defection of lawmakers elected into Abia State House of Assembly, numbering about 15 in 2015.
The party he said has only one member in the state Assembly because of uncontrolled defection of others.
He described as political fraud the culture of cross-carpeting with mandate of a political party to another, alleging that some political parties sometimes resort to inducement of opponents to join their political family.
“If a university offers you scholarship for instance, say University of Nigeria Nsukka offers you scholarship to study Medicine, you leave Nsukka and go to Abia State University, and you expect the same university to keep paying your scholarship, it doesn’t work that way,” he said.
He described as providence and God’s will the sack of the governor over his defection, calling for legislative framework that will make it impossible for politicians to dump their parties and defect to another one and still remain in office in which they were elected or appointed.
Sir Udensi described as a lacuna to absence of such laws, urging the judiciary to use the power at its disposal to make such law for a proper sense of direction.
While acknowledging the fundamental right to association of citizens, he urged those who are eager to leave their political parties do resign from the office they are elected before doing so.
He applauded Justice Inyang Ekwo for his courage in delivering the judgment against Umahi, his deputy and others.
