The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has stated that elected officials who defect from their party should automatically lose their seats.
Kukah lamented the spate of political defections in Nigeria, stressing that the absence of firm anti-defection laws undermines democratic principles.
The clergyman asserted that what Nigeria needs is not good political leaders, but good laws to restrain politicians from breaking the law.
Speaking on Friday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Lagos during the presentation of books written by journalist and former presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, the clergyman made reference to Ghana’s anti-defection provision, which mandates fresh elections within 42 days when a public official defects and bars the defector from contesting in that election.
He said, “Credible elections are necessary, but they are not a sufficient condition for the institutionalisation of the principles of democracy, precisely because there’s still a lot of hard work.
“And on this argument, again, President Jonathan will remember, my suggestion is that we need to target certain areas. What do you want to remedy when you are making a law? For example, we are witnessing a flood of defections now across the entire country. These defections cannot happen in Ghana.
“You know why? It is not because Ghanaians are not hungry, not because they are not angry, not because they don’t feel betrayed, but because they have a law that says that if you defect, you have 42 days for a new election to be conducted, an election in which you cannot participate. That’s what the law says in Ghana.”
Kukah faulted the tendency to view good governance as dependent solely on the moral integrity of leaders rather than on the strength of laws and institutions.
He said, “Many of us think that all we are looking for in a democracy is good men to govern us. Absolute nonsense! We are not looking for good people; we are looking for good laws to restrain even the best from trying to break those laws. So, when Nigeria continues to say that we are looking for free, fair, and credible elections, yes, they are possible, but there must be a condition.”
Kukah also noted that Ghana, having gone through turbulent political experiences, amended its laws to strengthen governance.
“Right now, to be the Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament, the Speaker is chosen by the President. And it is possible for Bishop Kukah, who is a Ghanaian, to become Speaker of Parliament. Once you become Speaker, you no longer hold loyalty to your party,” he added.
The cleric further called for Nigeria to define the core values upon which its society should operate.
According to him, the country’s disunity stems partly from the absence of universally acknowledged founding fathers who embody national ideals and provide moral direction.
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