Professor Wole Soyinka
Professor Wole Soyinka says anybody who leaves a political party for another should not be crucified for making such decision.
The Nobel Laureate was reacting to the gale of defection the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is battling with.
Three state governors, in one week, exited the party for the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on the back of the departures of 51 federal lawmakers from the party.
Benue state governor Samuel Ortom announced his exit from party on 24 July, while Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara and Senate President Bukola Saraki defected from the APC on 31 July.
And barely 24 hours later, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state ended his APC membership.
But the federal government and ruling APC have since dismissed insinuations that the exits of the governors and lawmakers would dim the chances of the party in the 2019 general election.
National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, had last week Friday, July 27, said Ortom had performed poorly in the state, insinuating that the APC would have lost if the governor represented the platform in next year’s election.
On his part, Nigeria’s minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, said the Senate President, Saraki, would not be missed as, according to him, the party gained nothing from him.
However, Soyinka, during the presentation of his new book ‘Who Is Watching The Watchmen?’ Lagos on Thursday, faulted some of the comments and events that followed their exits, especially the reactions that trailed the defection of Ortom.