Leave NDC, Lose Your Seat: Party Imposes Binding Anti-Defection Policy

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a stringent anti-defection policy requiring all governorship and National Assembly candidates seeking election on its platform to sign legally binding affidavits committing to remain with the party throughout their tenure in office.

The move, unveiled at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, is part of broader efforts by the NDC to strengthen party discipline and prevent elected officials from abandoning the platform that sponsored their elections.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, National Chairman of the party, Senator Moses Cleopas, said the policy was informed by what he described as a growing culture of political defections that continues to weaken democratic institutions in Nigeria.

According to him, politicians frequently secure electoral victories on one platform only to defect to another party shortly after assuming office, thereby undermining voter confidence and destabilising party structures.

“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 declared.

He argued that electoral mandates belong to both the political party and the electorate that voted through that platform.

“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 added.

The NDC chairman said the party was designed as a long-term institution rather than a temporary electoral vehicle and must therefore be protected from practices capable of weakening its foundation.

He cited several examples of political defections across different parties, arguing that such movements erode ideological consistency and diminish public trust in democratic governance.

Providing the legal framework for the policy, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, said every aspirant would be required to swear before a competent court that they understand and accept the anti-defection provisions before receiving the party’s nomination.

According to him, the affidavit will form part of the nomination documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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

He maintained that judicial precedents have consistently recognised the central role political parties play in Nigeria’s electoral process and argued that elected officials cannot separate their mandates from the platforms through which they emerged.