The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled a far-reaching anti-defection policy aimed at preserving party unity and protecting electoral mandates, requiring all candidates seeking elective offices on its platform to sign legally binding indemnity and affidavit forms committing to relinquish their positions if they defect from the party after winning elections.
The policy was formally introduced on Tuesday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja during a ceremony attended by party officials, aspirants, and some candidates preparing for the 2027 general elections.
The development is expected to affect all categories of candidates contesting under the NDC platform, including high-profile political figures such as the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and several prominent politicians who recently joined the party.
Speaking at the event, NDC National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, said the decision was adopted to strengthen party discipline, safeguard electoral victories, and discourage the growing trend of elected officials abandoning the parties that sponsored their emergence after securing public office.
According to Cleopas, the measure was approved during a recent meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), where members unanimously agreed that political mandates secured through the party should remain tied to the party throughout the tenure of the elected official.
“In our last NEC meeting, a motion was moved, supported, and adopted that when we take over government, people elected on the platform of our party must respect the party’s instrument and constitution,” he said.
“This is not a political party established for one individual to pursue personal ambitions and then do whatever he likes after achieving those ambitions. This is a party we intend to build, strengthen and eventually hand over to future generations.”
Cleopas lamented what he described as a recurring pattern in Nigerian politics whereby politicians use party platforms to secure electoral victories only to defect to rival political parties shortly afterward, often for personal or strategic reasons.
He argued that such actions weaken political institutions, undermine party development, and betray the trust of party members and supporters who worked to secure electoral victories.
“One thing we have observed in our political system is that once some people win elections under a political party, they suddenly begin to act as if they are bigger than the platform that produced them,” he said.
“Before long, they find one excuse or another and move to another party, often the ruling party, abandoning the people and structure that helped them win.”
The NDC chairman cited the experience of the Labour Party following the 2023 general elections as one of the major reasons behind the introduction of the new policy.
According to him, numerous candidates who secured elective positions under the Labour Party subsequently left the party, thereby weakening its political strength and reducing its influence in national affairs.
“A very clear example is what happened to the Labour Party in the years following the 2023 elections,” Cleopas stated.
“Many individuals won elections under the platform of that party. Today, if you examine the situation critically, you will discover that a significant number of them are no longer members of the party that gave them the opportunity.”
He argued that had those elected officials remained loyal to the party, it would have emerged as a much stronger political force, regardless of its inability to secure the presidency.
“When you witness such developments, it becomes necessary to put structures in place that will guide and protect your political party from similar experiences,” he added.
Cleopas emphasized that membership of the NDC remains voluntary and that no politician is compelled to join the party.
However, he stressed that anyone seeking elective office on the party’s platform must be prepared to abide by its rules and internal regulations.
“If you want to contest elections under the platform of the NDC, you are free to come because nobody is forcing anyone to join us,” he said.
“But once you decide to contest under our platform, you must understand that there are certain principles and rules that guide our operations as a political organization.”
He explained that one of those principles is that candidates who secure electoral victories through the party must remain loyal to the platform throughout their tenure.
“Under no circumstances should anyone wake up one morning and say, ‘I no longer like the NDC’ or ‘I have a disagreement with my state chairman,’ and then decide to leave the party after benefiting from its platform,” he said.
According to the NDC chairman, the party believes that electoral mandates belong primarily to the political party rather than the individual candidate.
He noted that candidates would therefore be required to sign legal documents affirming their commitment to remain members of the party after election victories.
“If you win an election through the NDC, the mandate belongs to the party,” Cleopas stated.
“If you choose to leave, then you should leave behind what you obtained through the party.”
To ensure compliance, he said the party’s legal department had prepared affidavit and indemnity forms that every candidate would be required to complete before receiving the party’s nomination.
“That is why we invited our National Legal Adviser and his team to prepare the necessary legal instruments. Every candidate, regardless of the office being contested, will complete the required affidavit and indemnity forms and swear to the oath,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, defended the legality of the policy, arguing that political parties are voluntary associations governed by internal constitutions and rules accepted by their members.
He explained that the relationship between a political party and its candidates is similar to that of members of other voluntary organizations who agree to abide by established regulations.
“A political party is like a club, church, or mosque where there are rules and regulations that members willingly accept,” Egwuaba said.
He cited provisions of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that candidates function as agents of their political parties and derive their legitimacy from the platforms that sponsor them.
“Once a candidate wins an election and is inaugurated, the mandate remains associated with the political party throughout the tenure for which that election was won,” he said.
“The fact that a candidate secures victory does not automatically transfer ownership of the mandate from the party to the individual.”
Despite the significance of the announcement, several prominent NDC figures, including Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, were absent from the ceremony.
Political observers believe the new policy reflects the party’s determination to avoid the internal crises and mass defections that have weakened several opposition parties in recent years.
With preparations for the 2027 elections gathering momentum, the NDC leadership insists that the anti-defection policy will help build a stronger and more disciplined political organization capable of sustaining its growth and protecting the mandates entrusted to it by Nigerian voters.
