The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled a strict anti-defection framework designed to prevent elected officials from abandoning the party after securing electoral victories on its platform.
Under the new policy, all aspirants and candidates contesting for presidential, governorship, National Assembly and other elective positions must sign legally binding affidavits and indemnity agreements pledging to surrender their mandates if they defect from the party.
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The initiative was announced on Tuesday at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja and is expected to apply to all candidates, including the NDC’s presidential flag bearer, Peter Obi, his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and several prominent politicians who recently joined the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
An indemnity agreement is a legal undertaking through which an individual accepts responsibility for potential liabilities, losses or claims, effectively shielding another party from legal or financial consequences.
Addressing party members during the signing exercise, NDC National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, said the measure was aimed at safeguarding the party’s electoral gains and strengthening internal discipline through adherence to party supremacy.
According to him, the decision was prompted by repeated instances of politicians winning elections on party platforms only to switch allegiance after securing office.
He noted that the NDC was determined to build a sustainable political institution that would outlive individual ambitions and serve future generations.
Cleopas argued that many elected officials often treat political parties as mere vehicles for personal advancement, only to abandon them when more favourable opportunities arise.
Drawing comparisons with other opposition parties, he cited the experience of the Labour Party after the 2023 elections, when several elected members reportedly left the platform despite securing victory under its banner.
He maintained that such defections weaken political institutions and undermine the efforts invested in building party structures.
“A political party should not exist solely to fulfil the ambitions of individuals. We want to establish a lasting institution that future generations can inherit and strengthen,” he said.
The NDC chairman stressed that membership remains voluntary, but anyone seeking elective office on the party’s platform must be prepared to comply with its rules and obligations.
He explained that candidates who win elections under the NDC would be regarded as custodians of the party’s mandate rather than sole owners of it.
According to him, the newly introduced affidavit and indemnity documents were prepared by the party’s legal team to ensure that candidates formally commit to remaining loyal to the platform throughout their tenure.
The measure, he added, is intended to promote accountability, loyalty and organisational stability while discouraging politically motivated defections.
Also speaking at the event, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, defended the policy, describing political parties as voluntary associations governed by rules accepted by their members.
He argued that candidates who secure office through a political party do so as representatives of that party and should therefore remain committed to it for the duration of their mandate.
“A political party operates like any organised association with rules and regulations. Once a candidate wins an election on a party’s platform, that mandate is derived from the party and not from personal ownership,” he stated.
Despite the significance of the event, several leading figures of the party, including Obi, Kwankwaso and other senior stakeholders, were absent from the ceremony.
Political observers view the initiative as an effort by the NDC to avoid the challenges faced by several opposition parties that lost elected members to rival platforms shortly after elections.
The policy could have implications for some of the party’s most influential members, many of whom have previously moved across different political parties during their careers.
Obi’s political career has seen him move from the All Progressives Grand Alliance to the Peoples Democratic Party, then the Labour Party, followed by the African Democratic Congress before joining the NDC in 2026.
Likewise, Kwankwaso has at different times been affiliated with the PDP, the All Progressives Congress, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, the ADC and now the NDC.
Former Adamawa State governorship candidate, Aishatu Binani, is also among the high-profile politicians who recently joined the party after leaving the APC and later the ADC.
With the introduction of the anti-defection pact, the NDC says it hopes to preserve party cohesion, protect electoral mandates and ensure that elected officials remain accountable to the platform that sponsored them into office.
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