Obi, Kwankwaso face NDC’s no-defection rule

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a stringent anti-defection policy requiring all its candidates for elective positions to sign affidavits and indemnity forms pledging to relinquish their seats if they defect from the party after winning elections.

The policy, unveiled on Tuesday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, is expected to apply to all candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections, including prominent figures such as the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and other recent entrants into the party.

Speaking during the ceremony, NDC National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, said the measure was designed to protect the party’s electoral mandates and instill discipline among members.

He noted that the party had repeatedly witnessed situations where politicians secured electoral victories on party platforms only to defect to rival parties after assuming office.

According to him, anyone seeking to contest on the party’s platform must accept and abide by its rules.

“If you contest an election under our platform and win, the mandate belongs to the party. If you decide to leave, you should leave behind what you obtained through the party,” he said.

Cleopas cited the experience of the Labour Party after the 2023 elections, arguing that defections by elected officials had weakened the party and underscored the need for safeguards.

The party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, defended the policy, describing political parties as voluntary associations governed by rules accepted by their members.

He argued that elected officials who win under a party’s platform are merely agents of the party and that the mandate should remain with the political organisation that sponsored them.

Despite the significance of the policy, several key figures, including Obi and Kwankwaso, were absent from the unveiling.

The move is widely seen as an attempt by the NDC to prevent the wave of defections that has weakened opposition parties in recent years and to ensure that candidates remain committed to the party throughout their tenure in office.