2027: Elected Politicians Will Lose Seats If They Defect – NDC

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a mandatory indemnity agreement for all its governorship and National Assembly candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that elected officials who defect from the party will forfeit their mandates.

The party said the measure is part of a “stringent anti-defection policy” designed to enforce loyalty, strengthen internal discipline and protect Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at the party’s national secretariat, NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, said the policy was introduced following concerns over rising political defections after elections.

Cleopas said the signing ceremony involved aspirants and candidates of the party, stressing that the agreement would be binding on all ticket holders.

“We are putting this in black and white. Once you take the ticket, you are bound by it. If you leave, you leave with the seat,” he said.

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He added that the party would not tolerate situations where elected officials abandon the platform that brought them to office while attempting to retain their mandates.

“The mandate belongs to the party and the people who voted through that platform. If you leave the party after winning, you cannot continue to hold the seat,” he said.

Cleopas said the NDC was founded after a careful review of Nigeria’s political environment, particularly the weakening of party structures through post-election defections.

Referencing political realignments across the country, including within the Labour Party, he said such developments underscored the need for stricter internal safeguards.

“In the Labour Party, we have seen situations where people won elections on the platform and later moved elsewhere. That is the kind of thing we are trying to stop,” he said.

He explained that the policy was aimed at ensuring that candidates fully accept the conditions of the party before contesting elections under its platform.

Cleopas maintained that the party ticket belongs to the political party and not individual candidates, insisting that elected officials must remain accountable to the platform that sponsored their victory.

He also noted that the NDC was established as a long-term political institution rather than an election-driven platform, adding that its structures were designed to ensure continuity, discipline and ideological consistency.

Cleopas said the party has resolved that all elected officials produced under its platform must remain loyal throughout their tenure or relinquish their offices.

“Anyone who chooses to leave the party after winning an election under our platform must also surrender the mandate obtained through the party,” he declared.

Providing the legal backing for the policy, the NDC National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, said judicial precedents support the central role of political parties in elections, noting that candidates emerge through party structures.

He said while the Constitution guarantees freedom of association, it does not transfer electoral mandates from a sponsoring party to an elected official who defects.

According to him, candidates will be required to swear an affidavit before a competent court confirming their acceptance of the anti-defection terms before their nominations are processed.

Egwuaba added that the affidavit would form part of nomination documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Without this affidavit, your name will not even be uploaded to the INEC portal. It is a strict requirement,” he said.

He further cited Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the NDC Constitution, which he said bind elected officials to the party platform through which they were elected.

“These provisions make it clear that once you are elected under the NDC, your mandate is tied to the party. If you resign from the party, you cannot retain the office,” he said.