Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a new policy aimed at discouraging defections among its members following elections.
The measure requires all governorship and National Assembly candidates to sign indemnity forms committing them to vacate their seats if they leave the party after winning on its platform.
This move was announced by the party’s National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas, during the signing ceremony held at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.
The event was attended by aspirants and candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Cleopas explained that the policy was not a witch-hunt but aimed at protecting the sanctity of electoral mandates and curbing what he called “post-election political migration.”
He emphasized that the party would not tolerate elected officials abandoning the platform that brought them to office while seeking to keep the mandate.
“The mandate belongs to the party and the voters who elected on that platform. If you leave the party after winning, you cannot continue to hold the seat,” he stated.
The national chairman clarified that the policy was designed to ensure candidates accept this condition before contesting elections on the NDC platform.
“We are formalizing this. Once you take the ticket, you are bound by it. If you leave, you leave with the seat,” he said.
Referencing political realignments across parties, including the Labour Party, he noted that such cases highlight the need for stronger internal safeguards.
“In the Labour Party, we have seen cases where candidates win on the platform and later switch parties. That is what we are trying to prevent,” he explained.
On the legal basis, Cleopas cited both international and domestic legal frameworks, arguing that while freedom of association is guaranteed, it does not automatically include the right to retain office after defecting.
He specifically referenced Section 14 and Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“It guarantees political participation and freedom of association, including the right to join or leave political parties,” he said.
He also cited provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), emphasizing that democratic rights must be balanced with party-based electoral mandates.
According to Cleopas, elected officials are products of party nominations and cannot separate their mandates from the platforms that sponsored their elections.
Further elaborating, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, explained that the NDC constitution itself contains enforceable clauses on defection.
Egwaba cited Articles 1, 2, and 3 of the NDC Constitution, which, he said, establish that elected officials remain bound by the party platform through which they were elected.
“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 concluded.
