NDC Moves to End Political Defections, Orders Candidates to Swear Affidavits

The national leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a strict anti-defection policy requiring all its governorship and National Assembly candidates to sign mandatory indemnity forms and swear affidavits ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party stated that it will legally rely on these sworn court documents to reclaim its mandates if any elected official leaves the party after winning an election.

Speaking at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, the National Chairman of the NDC, Senator Moses Cleopas, explained that the measure is designed to build long-term institutional discipline and halt the widespread political culture of post-election defections in Nigeria.

Cleopas noted that political parties are frequently weakened when elected officials abandon the platforms that sponsored them while attempting to retain their seats.

“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,” Cleopas stated during the ceremony.

He emphasized that the electoral mandate fundamentally belongs to the party and the voters rather than individual candidates.

“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.”

The National Chairman cited past defections within other political organizations to highlight the necessity of these internal safeguards.

“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.

He added, “Anyone who chooses to leave the party after winning an election under our platform must also surrender the mandate obtained through the party.”

The National Legal Adviser of the NDC, Reuben Egwuaba, provided further legal context for the decision, stating that the mandatory affidavit will serve as a binding legal undertaking. He said candidates must swear before a competent court that they understand and accept the party’s anti-defection terms before their names can be processed.

Egwuaba argued that while the constitution protects the freedom of association, judicial precedents affirm that such rights do not automatically allow a politician to transfer a party-backed electoral mandate to a rival political platform.

“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.

“Without this affidavit, your name will not even be uploaded to the INEC portal. It is a strict requirement.”