The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a new measure to discourage defections among its members after elections.

The measure requires all the governorship and National Assembly candidates to sign an indemnity form committing them to vacating their seats if they leave the party after winning elections on its platform.

The move was unveiled by the party’s national chairman, Moses Cleopas, during the signing ceremony at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.

The occasion was attended by aspirants and candidates, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Mr Cleopas explained that the development was not a witch-hunt but aimed at protecting the sanctity of electoral mandates and curbing what he described as “post-election political migration.”

He said the party would not tolerate situations in which elected officials abandon the platform that brought them to office while seeking to retain the mandate.

 “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,” he said.

The national chairman explained that the policy was intended to ensure that candidates clearly accept the condition before contesting elections on the NDC platform. 

“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,” he said.

Referencing political realignments across parties, including the Labour Party, he said such cases underscored the need for stricter 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.

 On the legal basis of the policy, Mr Cleopas cited provisions from both international and domestic legal frameworks, arguing that while freedom of association is guaranteed, it does not automatically extend to retaining elective office after defection.

 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.

 Mr Cleopas also cited provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), arguing that democratic rights must be balanced with party-based electoral mandates.

 According to him, elected officeholders are products of party nomination systems and therefore cannot separate their mandates from the platform that sponsored their election.

 Explaining further, the party’s national legal adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, expanded on the constitutional argument, saying the NDC constitution itself contains enforceable clauses on defection.

 Mr Egwaba cited Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the NDC constitution, which, according to him, 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 said.

(NAN)