NDC Moves to Stop Defections, Introduces Loyalty Oath

Sunday Aborisade, Abuja

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled a sweeping anti-defection policy that would require all aspirants seeking elective office on its platform to swear a legally binding affidavit pledging loyalty to the party, in a move aimed at curbing the growing trend of political defections in Nigeria.

Announcing the policy in Abuja, the National Chairman of the NDC, Moses Cleopas, said the party had resolved to protect its institutional integrity by ensuring that candidates elected on its platform remained loyal throughout their tenure.

Cleopas said the decision was informed by years of observing how political parties in Nigeria had been weakened by elected officials who secured victory under one platform only to defect after assuming office.

According to him, the NDC was conceived not merely as an electoral vehicle but as a long-term democratic institution designed to endure beyond its founders.

Cleopas said, “We did not establish this party simply to contest elections. The NDC was founded as an institution that will outlive its founders, preserve its ideology and remain relevant across generations.”

He explained that the party drew lessons from successful democracies around the world, where strong political institutions were sustained through discipline, continuity and loyalty among elected officials.

The NDC chairman lamented what he described as the increasing culture of political migration, noting that defections by elected officials had contributed significantly to the weakening of party structures and public confidence in the democratic process.

“It has become common in Nigeria for politicians to win elections on the platform of one party and then abandon that same platform after assuming office.

“This trend weakens political institutions, undermines the trust of voters and damages the democratic process. We believe this must stop if our democracy is to mature,” he said.

Cleopas declared that any elected official who chooses to leave the NDC after winning an election on its platform must also relinquish the mandate secured through the party.

He said, “The mandate belongs to the party that sponsored the candidate. Anyone who chooses to leave the party after winning an election under our platform must also surrender the mandate obtained through the party.”

Providing the legal justification for the measure, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, said the policy was rooted in established judicial principles recognising the central role of political parties in the electoral process.

He announced that every aspirant seeking nomination on the NDC platform would now be required to swear an affidavit before a competent court affirming acceptance of the party’s anti-defection provisions.

Egwuaba said, “No aspirant will be cleared to contest on our platform without first executing this affidavit. The affidavit will form part of the nomination documents to be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and it will serve as evidence that the candidate fully understands and accepts the obligations attached to contesting on the platform of the NDC.”