The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled a stringent anti-defection policy requiring all candidates seeking elective offices on its platform to sign indemnity and affidavit forms pledging to relinquish their mandates if they defect after winning elections.
The policy was launched on Tuesday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja and is expected to apply to all candidates, including the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and other recent entrants.
Speaking during the inauguration of the policy, NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, said the measure was designed to safeguard the party’s electoral mandates and strengthen internal discipline.
He explained that the decision followed repeated incidents of politicians abandoning the parties that sponsored their elections after securing public office.
Cleopas noted that the party wanted to build a lasting political institution rather than serve as a vehicle for individual ambitions.
According to him, elected officials often defect to rival parties on flimsy grounds, weakening the parties that helped them attain office.
He cited the experience of the Labour Party after the 2023 elections, arguing that numerous elected members left the party, diminishing its political strength.
The chairman said the trend highlighted the need for stronger mechanisms to ensure loyalty and accountability among elected officials.
He stressed that while membership of the NDC remains voluntary, anyone seeking the party’s ticket must accept and comply with its rules.
Under the new arrangement, candidates will be required to complete affidavit and indemnity forms before receiving nomination tickets.
Cleopas maintained that electoral mandates belong to the political party rather than the individual officeholder and should be surrendered if a member decides to leave.
The party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, defended the policy, describing political parties as voluntary associations governed by rules accepted by members.
He argued that the Constitution recognizes candidates as agents of political parties and that mandates obtained through elections remain tied to the sponsoring party.
Despite the significance of the exercise, several leading figures, including Obi and Kwankwaso, were absent from the signing ceremony.
Political observers view the policy as the NDC’s attempt to prevent the wave of defections that has weakened many opposition parties in recent years and to ensure greater party cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
