NDC Insists Obi, Kwankwaso Must Sign Anti-Defection Agreement

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC says the reason why it compelled candidates, seeking to represent the party in the 2027 election, including Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso  to sign a binding anti-defection agreement is to prevent mass defection from the party after the election.

The party said the decision is aimed at protecting its electoral mandates after next year’s election, saying the party is trying to avoid a situation when, candidates, after wining the election will dump it for another party, adding that it has learnt a good lesson from what happened to the Labour Party, LP after the 2023 election.

NDC National Chairman, Moses Cleopas made the clarification in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Tuesday during the unveiling of the Party’s Policy at the party’s national secretariat.

According to him, the decision was reached during a National Executive Committee, NEC, saying the policy  will strengthen party discipline and ensure elected officials remain loyal after the election.

He said experience in the country has shown that some candidates who were sponsored by some political parties, and won, later dump such parties after wining the election, thereby weakening their base.

For instance, the NDC National Chairman said the LP would have remained strong among political parties in the country if those that won election under its banner in 2023 did not abandon the party for another political party, particularly the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

“People contest elections and win under political parties, but after getting elected, they suddenly abandon the platform that gave them the opportunity. This has become a major challenge in our democracy,” Cleopas said.

Adding that “If those elected officials had remained in the Labour Party, the party would have been much stronger today. These are the realities that make it necessary for political parties to put safeguards in place.”

Recall that LP was among the top three political parties in the country after the 2023 election, as its candidates won some seats in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly across the country.

Most of the candidates later dumped the party for other politcal parties.