The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a strict anti-defection policy requiring its presidential, governorship, National Assembly and other candidates to sign indemnity and affidavit forms pledging to vacate their seats if they leave the party.
The policy, unveiled Tuesday at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, will affect leading figures on the platform, including Peter Obi, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso and other recent high-profile entrants ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking at the ceremony, NDC National Chairman Moses Cleopas said the move was aimed at protecting the party’s mandates and enforcing discipline.
He said, “In our last NEC meeting, a motion was moved, supported, and established that when we take over the government, people elected on the platform of our party must respect the party’s instrument.
“This is not just a party for one man to rise and achieve his ambitions and do anything he likes with the party.”
Cleopas said the policy was shaped by the experience of opposition parties, especially the Labour Party, which saw many elected members leave after the 2023 elections.
“A very typical example that we have all seen in the last three years is the Labour Party, where so many individuals won elections under the platform of the party,” he said.
He stressed that joining the NDC is voluntary, but candidates must obey party rules. “If you want to contest the election under the platform of the NDC, you are free to come. Nobody is forcing you,” he said.
National Legal Adviser Reuben Egwuaba defended the policy, saying party candidates are agents of their parties and mandates belong to the party, not individuals.
However, Obi, Kwankwaso and several other party leaders were absent from the event.
The move is widely seen as an effort to prevent the loss of elected members to rival parties. Obi has moved through APGA, PDP, Labour Party, ADC and NDC, while Kwankwaso has been in PDP, APC, NNPP, ADC and NDC. Former Adamawa governorship candidate Aishatu Binani also recently joined the party after leaving APC for ADC in 2025.
