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Major realignment
of forces and defections have hit the country’s political parties,
especially the big ones, only few weeks to the deadline for the
submission of candidates.

According to the
new timetable for the 2011 general elections released by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last month, the
parties have up till January 15 to submit names of their candidates for
the elective positions to the commission. The parties are, therefore,
expected to organise their primaries (or adopt) to pick those that will
fly their flags before that day.

Consequently, some
of the politicians who are dissatisfied with their primaries or were
afraid that they would not be offered the tickets to run for the
elections have, in the last few weeks, defected to other parties to
realise their ambitions. Some of them are:

Timi Alaibe

Until last Friday,
Mr Alaibe was the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta
Affairs. Prior to that appointment, he was the managing director of the
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Twice, he aspired to rule
Bayelsa State on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP),
but did not succeed. The first was in 2003 when he wanted to challenge
a former governor of the state, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. In 2007, he
moved to challenge the then governor, Goodluck Jonathan, but backed
out. That was before Mr Jonathan was nominated as the PDP vice
presidential candidate. An efficient mobiliser, Mr Alaibe last Thursday
defected to Labour Party (LP) where he hopes to realise his
governorship ambition. It, however, remains to be seen how he would win
the oil rich state, from which Mr Jonathan hails from for the
opposition Labour Party (LP).

Rasheed Ladoja

He is a former governor of Oyo State under the platform of the PDP. While in office,

he was impeached in
controversial circumstances but was reinstated by the court. Mr
Ladoja’s membership of the party became shaky after his reinstatement
as governor. In fact, the ruling party did not give him the ticket to
run for a second time but instead, gave it to his former deputy and
present governor,

Adebayo Alao-Akala,
thanks to the political force of the late Lamidi Adedibu. Recently, Mr
Ladoja, a billionaire businessman and a former senator, dumped the PDP
for the Accord Party (AP). Some say his defection was informed by the
protracted crisis in the Oyo State chapter of the PDP.

Achike Udenwa

He is a former
governor of Imo State and the immediate past Commerce and Industry
minister. Mr Udenwa came to limelight when, in 1999, he defeated the
more popular Ezekiel Izuogu in the gubernatorial contest in the state.
He ruled the state until 2007. Following the controversy that trailed
the governorship primaries in the state in 2001, Mr Udenwa supported
the emergence of the incumbent governor, Ikedi Ohakim of the
Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) against Ifeanyi Araraume of the PDP.
However, Mr Udenwa’s romance with Mr Ohakim was short-lived as both
battled to control the structure of the party in the state.

The governor has
since dumped the PPA for PDP. On his part, Mr Udenwa decamped to the
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) few weeks ago and has interestingly
joined forces with the hitherto political opponent, Mr Araraume to
fight the incumbent governor.

Ifeanyi Araraume

Mr Araraume was in
the Senate for eight years. He showed interest in running Imo State as
governor in 2007 and in fact was given the PDP ticket in controversial
circumstances.

But former
president Olusegun Obasanjo did not want him and mobilised the PDP
supporters to vote for Mr Ohakim who was of the PPA. The former
senator, who was about the most popular candidate, quit the PDP few
weeks ago. He has taken up membership of ACN.

Mohammed Abacha

He is the eldest
surviving son of the late military head of state, Sani Abacha. Mr
Abacha’s foray into politics came as a shock to many. He first took up
membership of the PDP where he had hoped to actualise his ambition to
rule Kano State as its governor. When it seemed like he would not
secure the ticket, the young man moved to the Congress for Progressive
Change (CPC). Yet, the CPC appeared hotter for him than the PDP. He was
reportedly thrown out of the CPC last week by a faction of the party
sympathetic to the national chairman, Rufai Hanga. Mr Abacha is said to
be on his way to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

Dora Akunyili

The immediate past
information and communication minister was drafted into the federal
cabinet by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, whom she had campaigned
for in 2007. Mrs Akunyili dumped the PDP early last month for All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to contest election to represent
Anambra Central Senatorial District. Not a few describe her exit from
the ruling party as shocking.

However, those who
should know have maintained that there was a deal between her and the
APGA structure in Anambra State led by the national chairman, Victor
Umeh and the governor, Peter Obi. Unconfirmed reports indicated that it
was the major reason Mrs Akunyili did not support former CBN governor,
Chukwuma Soludo (her in-law) who ran the election under the banner of
the PDP.

Dele Momodu

This celebrated
journalist and publisher of Ovation Magazine wanted to vie for the
presidency on the ticket of LP. But a few weeks ago, in a statement he
authorised, Mr Momodu announced his withdrawal. He has now declared his
intention to run for president under the National Conscience Party
(NCP).

Mohammed Ali Ndume

Mr Ndume symbolised
opposition politics at the National Assembly where he is the minority
leader and leader of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). A two-time
member of the House of Representatives, Mr Ndume impressed many
Nigerians in the manner he confronted the majority PDP in the House on
issues. At the national secretariat of the ANPP, he was revered for his
role in the House. In fact, he was often described as “the face of
opposition in the party.” But Mr Ndume, last Monday, dumped the ANPP
for the PDP, which is in the opposition in his native Borno State. The
gist is that he wanted to go to the Senate to represent Borno South
Senatorial District, but that the governor refused him. Governor Modu
Sheriff is said to be backing his women affairs commissioner, Asabe
Vilita Bashir for the seat.

Garba Lado

Mr Lado, son of a
rich businessman in Katsina State, has been a senator since 2007 on the
ticket of the PDP. Before then, he was a member of the House of
Representatives.

He is reputed to be
a strong supporter of the late president, Umaru Yar’Adua and kicked
against the “Doctrine of Necessity” on which the upper legislative
chamber stood to declare Mr Jonathan acting president early last year.
Mr Lado, has dumped the PDP for the CPC from where he hopes to oust
Governor Ibrahim Shema from office. A few weeks ago, the senator was
reported to have been picked as the consensus candidate of the party.

However, a former
House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Bello Masari, who is eyeing the
same position, was said to have kicked against it, insisting that the
consensus project was fraudulently executed. The matter is yet to be
resolved even as Mr Masari is combing the nooks and crannies of the
state to canvass for votes.

Aminu Bello Masari

In 2007, he wanted
to succeed Mr Yar’Adua as Katsina State governor and had indeed been
assured that he would pick the ticket. But the unexpected happened and
he was shoved aside for Mr Shema, who was then a deputy national
chairman of the PDP.

He, expectedly,
fell out with the late president and even fought him till the end. He
decided to join the CPC alongside his associates like Sadiq Abubakar
Yar’Adua (not a relation of the late president), but he is not having
it easy in the quest to actualise his ambition as he faces stern
opposition from fellow party men.

Chimaroke Nnamani

He is a sitting
senator and former governor of Enugu State for eight years. Mr Nnamani
installed the incumbent governor, Sullivan Chime as governor, but the
two have parted ways. The 50-year-old former governor has floated a new
political party called People for Democratic Change (PDC).

Rochas Okorocha

He is a popular
philanthropists and businessman from Imo State. He contested the
presidential primaries variously in PDP and ANPP. But recently, he
defected to APGA, where he wants to contest the governorship election
of Imo State. Sadly, that state’s branch of the party has given him
quit notice. Reason: Mr Okorocha’s thugs invaded the APGA secretariat
in the state where they manhandled some party executives.

He may, therefore, be on his way to another party.

Early decampees

Muhammadu Buhari,
who had contested the presidential polls in 2003 and 2007 on the ticket
of ANPP, left the party to float the CPC. Abubakar Atiku, left the ACN
for the PDP. Governors, Mahmud Shinkafi of Zamfara left the ANPP for
PDP; Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State left the ANPP for the PDP; Ikedi Ohakim
of Imo State left the PPA for the PDP; and Theodore Orji of Abia State
dumped the PPA for PDP. All of them are currently jostling for various
positions in the 2011 elections.