The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled a sweeping anti-defection policy requiring all candidates contesting elections on its platform to sign a sworn affidavit undertaking to surrender their mandate if they defect from the party after winning office.
The party said the measure, which it described as one of its major political innovations, is intended to strengthen party discipline, preserve political institutions and end what it called the growing culture of politicians abandoning the platforms that brought them to power.
Speaking at a ceremony where several governorship and other candidates publicly signed the affidavit, the National Chairman said the NDC was founded not merely to participate in elections but to build a political institution that would endure for generations.
According to him, the party was established after carefully studying successful political parties across the world and identifying the factors that have enabled them to remain strong even after changes in leadership.
He said the NDC does not want to become another political party that rises to prominence during one election cycle only to fade into irrelevance a few years later.
“This party was not established because we simply wanted another political party. We want to build an institution that will last beyond four or eight years and can be handed over to the next generation,” he said.
The chairman apologised to journalists and party members for the delayed commencement of the event, explaining that the leadership had been attending to other important party activities.
He stressed that party supremacy would remain a core principle of the NDC, adding that elected officials on the party’s platform would be expected to respect the party’s constitution and decisions throughout their tenure.
According to him, politicians who voluntarily seek the party’s ticket must also accept its rules, including the obligation to surrender the office won on its platform if they later choose to leave.
“If you contest election under our platform and you win, then later decide to leave, relinquish the mandate upon which you won the election. You are free to go anywhere, but leave our mandate because it belongs to the party,” he declared.
The chairman said the policy was informed by the wave of defections witnessed in recent years, particularly among politicians elected under opposition parties.
He cited the Labour Party as an example, noting that many public office holders who won elections on its platform had since left the party, weakening its political strength despite its impressive performance in the last general election.
He argued that such defections undermine political institutions and discourage long-term party development, insisting that the NDC was determined not to repeat the mistakes that have affected older political parties.
The chairman also referenced the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing it as a party that once produced and groomed many politicians but has since experienced internal challenges.
“We are PDP-groomed politicians. Today, where is our beloved PDP? Is that what we want to happen to the NDC? Certainly not,” he said.
Explaining the legal basis for the policy, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Barrister Reuben, said candidates merely act as agents of political parties and do not personally own the votes cast during elections.
He cited constitutional provisions governing political parties and referred to the Supreme Court judgment in the Rotimi Amaechi and Celestine Omehia governorship dispute, arguing that the court had affirmed that votes belong to political parties rather than individual candidates.
According to him, while every Nigerian has the constitutional right to freedom of association and may choose to leave a political party, anyone elected on the NDC platform should first surrender the office won with the party’s mandate.
He explained that the affidavit would serve as a binding contractual agreement between the party and its candidates and would be relied upon in court should any elected official defect without resigning.
The legal adviser further disclosed that the affidavit would become a compulsory part of every candidate’s nomination documents.
He said no candidate’s name would be uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal unless the duly sworn affidavit accompanied the nomination form.
According to him, the NDC has also incorporated the anti-defection principle into its constitution, extending it to all elected offices, including the President, Vice President, governors and deputy governors, areas where the Nigerian Constitution does not expressly prescribe the consequences of defection.
He maintained that the policy was not intended to deny anyone the constitutional right to change political parties but to ensure that candidates voluntarily accept the party’s conditions before contesting elections on its platform.
Reaffirming the party’s position, the National Chairman said the NDC’s initiative was aimed at promoting accountability, strengthening political parties and ensuring that elected officials remain faithful to the platform through which they secured public office.
He argued that while legislators who defect often face legal and public scrutiny, similar standards have not always applied to governors and other executive office holders, creating an imbalance in Nigeria’s democratic practice.
To demonstrate commitment to the policy, several governorship, senatorial and other candidates from different states publicly signed the affidavit during the event, pledging to relinquish their mandates if they defect from the NDC after winning elections.
The party described the exercise as the beginning of a new political culture designed to discourage opportunistic defections, strengthen party institutions and restore greater discipline to Nigeria’s democratic system.
