The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled a new internal political policy requiring all its candidates to sign legally binding affidavits committing them to surrender their electoral mandates if they defect from the party after winning office.
Policy Announcement
The move, announced in Abuja by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, is aimed at strengthening party discipline and curbing the growing culture of political defections that has become a recurring feature of Nigeria’s democracy. Speaking during the official signing ceremony, Zuwoghe described the initiative as a major departure from conventional political practices, insisting that elected offices secured on a party’s platform belong primarily to the political party and not to individual officeholders.
Building an Enduring Institution
According to him, the NDC was founded to build an enduring political institution rather than serve as a temporary vehicle for personal ambitions. He said the party’s leadership carefully studied successful democratic systems across the world before introducing measures designed to protect party ideology, loyalty and institutional continuity.
“Our goal is to build a political party that will outlive its founders and become a lasting institution for future generations. We cannot achieve that if elected officials freely abandon the platform that gave them victory,” he said.
Curbing Opportunistic Defections
Zuwoghe lamented the increasing trend of politicians defecting shortly after winning elections, arguing that such actions weaken political parties and undermine public confidence in the electoral process. Under the new arrangement, any NDC candidate seeking elective office must execute an indemnity agreement and sworn affidavit before being cleared for nomination. The party maintains that any elected official who chooses to leave the NDC after winning an election must relinquish the office obtained through the party’s platform.
“Nigerians vote for political parties and their programmes. If anyone decides to leave our party after benefiting from its platform, that person should also surrender the mandate obtained through that platform,” Zuwoghe stated.
Legal Basis
Providing the legal basis for the policy, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Barrister Reuben Egwuaba, argued that electoral victories are fundamentally tied to political parties. He cited constitutional provisions and judicial precedents, including landmark Supreme Court decisions, to support the party’s position that candidates function as agents of their political parties during elections.
According to Egwuaba, the mandatory affidavit will become a critical requirement in the party’s nomination process and will apply to all categories of elective offices, including presidential, governorship and legislative contests. He stressed that the policy does not infringe on the constitutional right of freedom of association because candidates remain free to leave the party whenever they choose.
“The party is not preventing anyone from defecting. What we are saying is that if you leave, you should also surrender the mandate that came through the party,” he explained.
Broader Implications
NDC leaders say the initiative forms part of a broader effort to redefine Nigeria’s political culture, strengthen party supremacy and promote greater accountability among elected officials. The party expressed hope that the policy would encourage ideological commitment, reduce opportunistic defections and contribute to the development of stronger democratic institutions in the country.
As preparations for future elections gather momentum, the NDC believes its new framework could spark a wider national debate on party loyalty, political accountability and the ownership of electoral mandates in Nigeria’s evolving democratic landscape.
