The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a new policy requiring all its governorship and national assembly candidates to sign indemnity forms committing them to the party’s platform even after elections.
The measure, unveiled by Senator Moses Cleopas, the party’s national chairman during a signing ceremony at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday, is aimed at discouraging elected officials from defecting after winning elections under the party’s banner.
According to Cleopas, the policy is intended to safeguard electoral mandates and curb what he described as increasing cases of post-election political realignment.
He stated that any candidate who leaves the party after being elected would forfeit the seat won on its platform, insisting that political mandates belong both to the party and the electorate that voted through it.
Cleopas explained that the new rule was not punitive but a preventive measure designed to ensure loyalty and accountability from candidates before they contest elections under the NDC.
He added that the party would no longer tolerate situations where individuals abandon the platform that brought them into office while attempting to retain their positions.
The NDC chairman also referenced constitutional and regional legal frameworks, arguing that political participation rights must be balanced with party-based electoral obligations.
He cited provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights as well as the 1999 Constitution, noting that while citizens have the right to associate freely, elective office remains tied to party nomination structures.
The party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, further supported the policy, stating that the NDC constitution already contains provisions that bind elected officials to the party platform under which they were elected.
He explained that, under the party’s internal rules, resignation from the party would automatically invalidate a holder’s claim to any elective office secured on its platform.
The development comes amid ongoing debates in Nigerian politics over defection trends, where elected officials frequently switch parties after elections, often triggering legal and political disputes.
The NDC says the new policy is part of broader efforts to strengthen internal discipline and restore public confidence in party-based representation ahead of future elections.