Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled a tough anti-defection policy requiring all candidates to sign indemnity and affidavit forms pledging to vacate their seats if they leave the party after winning elections.
The measure, announced on Tuesday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, targets prominent figures including presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as well as other recent joiners ahead of the 2027 general elections.
NDC National Chairman Senator Moses Cleopas said the policy aims to safeguard the party’s mandates and enforce discipline, citing frequent defections by elected officials.
“In our last NEC meeting, a motion was moved, supported, and established that when we take over the government, people elected on the platform of our party must respect the party’s instrument,” Cleopas stated.
He added: “This is not just a party for one man to rise and achieve his ambitions and do anything he likes with the party. This is a political party that we desire to groom and hand over to the next generation.”
Cleopas pointed to the Labour Party’s experience after the 2023 elections, where many winners reportedly left the party. “When you see these kinds of things happening, it is expedient that you start to think of how to guide your political parties,” he said.
Candidates must sign the documents before receiving the party’s ticket, with the mandate remaining the property of the NDC, according to National Legal Adviser Reuben Egwuaba.
“A political party is just like a club, church or mosque where there are rules and regulations,” Egwuaba explained, referencing Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution.
Neither Obi nor Kwankwaso attended the ceremony, despite their high profiles within the party. Obi has switched between several parties in his career, as has Kwankwaso.
The initiative comes as the NDC seeks to prevent the defections that have weakened other opposition groups in Nigeria.
