The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled a new requirement mandating all governorship and National Assembly candidates seeking to contest under its platform to sign legally binding commitment forms aimed at preventing post-election defections.
The policy was announced on Tuesday by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, during a ceremony at the NDC national headquarters in Abuja.
According to Cleopas, the initiative is designed to strengthen party discipline and protect electoral mandates by ensuring that candidates remain loyal to the platform through which they secure public office.
He said the party was concerned about the growing trend of elected officials abandoning the political parties that sponsored their elections shortly after assuming office.
Under the new arrangement, candidates will be required to formally commit to remaining with the NDC after elections, with the party insisting that any mandate secured at the polls belongs not only to the candidate but also to the party and the electorate.
Cleopas stated that the measure is intended as a safeguard against political defections rather than a punitive action, stressing that the party wants to ensure accountability from individuals seeking its nomination.
He added that the NDC would no longer accept situations where politicians use the party as a vehicle to gain office only to switch allegiance after winning elections.
The chairman further argued that while the Constitution guarantees freedom of association, elective positions are obtained through political parties and should therefore carry corresponding obligations to those parties.
Supporting the policy, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, said the NDC constitution already contains provisions linking elected officials to the platform on which they were elected.
According to him, the party’s internal rules provide that an elected official who voluntarily resigns from the NDC forfeits any claim to a mandate secured under its banner.
The announcement comes amid renewed debate over political defections in Nigeria, where lawmakers and other elected officials frequently switch parties, often sparking legal challenges and political controversies.
The NDC said the new policy forms part of wider reforms aimed at promoting party loyalty, strengthening internal governance and restoring public confidence in the country’s democratic process ahead of future elections.
