The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has required all its governorship and National Assembly candidates to sign indemnity forms committing to vacate their seats if they leave the party after winning elections. The policy was announced by NDC National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas, during a signing ceremony at the party's National Secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday. The event was attended by aspirants and candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections. Cleopas stated the measure is intended to protect the sanctity of electoral mandates and curb post-election defections, which he described as political migration. "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. He emphasized that the policy is not a witch-hunt but a clear condition for contesting on the NDC platform. "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," Cleopas added. He referenced defections in the Labour Party as examples of the kind of realignment the NDC seeks to prevent. Cleopas cited Section 14 and Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, as well as provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), to support the policy, arguing that while freedom of association is protected, it does not automatically allow retention of office after defection. NDC National Legal Adviser, Reuben Egwuaba, referenced Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the NDC Constitution, stating these clauses 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," Egwuaba said.
Sen. Moses Cleopas insists mandates belong to the NDC and its voters, yet the party's own constitution is being used to enforce post-election loyalty. Candidates who win on the NDC platform will lose their seats if they defect, even if voters supported them personally. This creates a conflict between individual political movement and party control over elected offices. The policy may deter defections but raises questions about voter autonomy versus party authority.
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