Former presidential aide and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Babafemi Ojudu has slammed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, over the emergene of his loyalist as the candidate of the ruling party for the Rivers State governorship election.
DAILY POST recalls that Kingsley Chinda, the immediate past Minority Leader in the green chamber, won the APC governorship ticket ahead of the 2023 election.
However, confusion trailed his emergence on Tuesday following the announcement of his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the APC weeks after the primary election.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, announced Chinda’s defection during plenary on Tuesday.
Reacting, Ojudu in a statement on his Facebook page on Wednesday, wondered how the “Minority Leader of one political party could secure the governorship ticket of the ruling party, and only afterwards, defects to that party. Welcome to Rivers State, a soon to be renamed Wike State”.
Traditionally, political parties are expected to be built on loyalty, shared values, ideological commitments, and long-term participation.
“There are usually expectations—formal or informal—that those seeking a party’s ticket would have contributed to its growth, endured its struggles, respected its processes, and identified with its aspirations over time.
“What then are we witnessing when a politician obtains the ticket of a party before even becoming a member of that party ?
What happens to those who have spent years building the party, funding it, organizing for it, defending it, and remaining loyal through difficult times ? What becomes of the principles of membership, party discipline, and internal democracy ?”, He asked.
DAILY POST understands that Chinda is a member of the rainbow coalition, a group of political bigwigs drawn from different political parties to support President Bola Tinubu.
