‘The Party Is Imposing’ – Kwankwaso Speaks On NDC’s Anti-defection Policy

The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has backed the party’s newly introduced indemnity form against defection, describing it as a welcome development.

Kwankwaso said the policy would strengthen party discipline and reinforce constitutional provisions on the mandate given to elected officials through political parties.

He made his position known through the spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Habibu Saleh Mohammed.

The NDC recently introduced a loyalty affidavit policy aimed at preventing elected officials from abandoning the party after winning elections on its platform.

The party said the measure was designed to protect its institutional integrity and ensure that elected representatives remain loyal to the mandate given to them by voters.

National Chairman of the party, Moses Cleopas, had said the decision was informed by repeated cases of politicians defecting from the parties that sponsored them into office.

Reacting to the development, Kwankwaso said the policy was in line with the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution, which discourages elected officials from abandoning the political platforms through which they secured office.

“What the party is trying to do is only imposing the position of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To a larger extent, this is what we’ve been talking about,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed recalled that the Kwankwasiyya movement had suffered political setbacks in the past due to defections by key figures.

He cited the defection of former Kano State governor and one-time deputy leader of the movement, Abdullahi Ganduje, as one of the experiences that shaped the movement’s position on party loyalty.

According to him, the NDC’s decision would help discourage politicians from using party platforms merely as vehicles to win elections before defecting to rival parties.