Abuja: The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a new anti-defection policy requiring its governorship and National Assembly candidates to sign indemnity forms committing them to vacate their seats if they leave the party after winning elections.
The policy was unveiled on Tuesday by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, during a signing ceremony at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
The event was attended by aspirants and candidates preparing for the 2027 general elections.
Cleopas said the measure was designed to protect electoral mandates and curb what he described as the growing trend of post-election defections by elected officials.
According to him, the party would no longer tolerate situations where candidates secure electoral victories on its platform only to defect to another political party while retaining their seats.
“The mandate belongs to the party and the people who voted through that platform. If you leave the party after winning, you cannot continue to hold the seat,” he said.
He explained that the indemnity forms were intended to ensure that candidates clearly understood and accepted the condition before contesting elections on the NDC platform.
“We are putting this in black and white. Once you take the ticket, you are bound by it. If you leave, you leave with the seat,” he added.
Cleopas cited recent political realignments across parties, including the Labour Party, as evidence of the need for stronger internal safeguards against defections.
“In the Labour Party, we have seen situations where people won elections on the platform and later moved elsewhere. That is the kind of thing we are trying to stop,” he said.
Defending the legal basis of the policy, the NDC chairman argued that while freedom of association is guaranteed under both domestic and international law, such rights do not automatically entitle elected officials to retain office after defecting from the platform that sponsored their election.
He cited provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, particularly those guaranteeing political participation and freedom of association, including the right to join or leave political parties.
Cleopas also referenced provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), arguing that democratic rights must be balanced against the party-based nature of Nigeria’s electoral system.
According to him, elected officials derive their mandates through political party nominations and cannot separate those mandates from the platforms on which they were elected.
The party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, reinforced the argument, saying the NDC constitution contains provisions that bind elected officials to the party throughout their tenure.
Egwuaba cited Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the party’s constitution, which he said make it clear that elected office holders remain tied to the platform that sponsored their election.
“These provisions make it clear that once you are elected under the NDC, your mandate is tied to the party. If you resign from the party, you cannot retain the office,” he said.
