Politics
NDC mandates all candidates to sign affidavits against defection
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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced a compulsory affidavit for all its candidates seeking elective offices, requiring them to forfeit their seats if they defect from the party after winning elections.
The national chairman of the party, Moses Cleopas, announced the policy during an indemnity signing meeting at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.
He stressed that candidates, including gubernatorial and presidential candidates, must depose to the affidavit.
Cleopas explained that the development was not a witch-hunt but aimed at protecting the sanctity of electoral mandates and curbing what he described as “post-election political migration.”
He said the party would not tolerate situations where elected officials abandon the platform that brought them to office but seek to retain the mandate.
“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.
The National Chairman explained that the policy was intended to ensure candidates clearly accept the condition before contesting elections under the NDC, saying: “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.”
Referencing political realignments across parties, including the Labour Party, he said such cases underscore 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.
On the legal basis of the policy, Cleopas cited provisions of both international and domestic legal frameworks, arguing that while freedom of association is guaranteed, it does not automatically extend to retaining elective office after defection.
He specifically referenced Section 14 and Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which he said guarantee political participation and freedom of association, including the right to join or leave political parties.
He also pointed to provisions of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), arguing that democratic rights under the Constitution must be balanced with party-based electoral mandates.
According to him, elected officeholders are products of party nomination systems and therefore cannot separate their mandate from the platform that sponsored their election.
Explaining further, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Barrister Reuben Egwuaba, expanded on the constitutional argument, saying the NDC constitution itself contains enforceable clauses on defection.
He cited Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the NDC Constitution, which, according to him, establish that elected officials remain bound by 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.
Egwuaba added that the affidavit requirement would serve as an enforceable legal undertaking binding candidates before they are cleared to contest.
“Without this affidavit, your name will not even be uploaded to the INEC portal. It is a strict requirement,” he said.
The legal adviser explained that the measure was intended to close what he described as “legal loopholes that allow post-election defections without consequence.”
He further said the policy aligns with the party’s internal disciplinary framework, which empowers it to demand resignation from members who abandon the platform mid-tenure.
The NDC maintained that the new rule was necessary to strengthen party discipline, preserve voter intent and reduce what it called the “distortion of electoral mandates through opportunistic defections.”
Some gubernatorial and National Assembly candidates present at the meeting signed the affidavits before the end of the event. However, the presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, had not come in for the signing, which was still ongoing as at press time.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it is on course to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) July 11 deadline for the submission of its presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.
A senior member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the upload of candidates’ details was at an advanced stage, with the details of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate expected to be uploaded by the middle of the week.
“We are progressing smoothly with the uploading of the details of our National Assembly candidates,” the source said.
“We hope that on or before next Wednesday, we shall upload the details of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate. We are completely sure of meeting the July 11 deadline for uploading all our candidates on the INEC portal.”
Checks at the APC’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department at the Muhammadu Buhari House headquarters in Abuja on Sunday indicated that the party’s technical team has continued to interface with the INEC portal without disruption.
Sources in the department said the details of most principal officers of the 10th National Assembly and several serving lawmakers had already been uploaded.
They added that the details of four serving governors — AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State — had also been uploaded to the INEC portal.
The race to meet the deadline followed a review of the party’s primary elections. The APC recently submitted a revised list of candidates to INEC after the NWC removed six senatorial and 19 House of Representatives candidates who had earlier emerged from the party’s May primaries.
The changes affected constituencies in Abia, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Ebonyi, Ondo, Kaduna, Niger and Kwara states and followed the recommendations of the party’s Primary Election Appeal Committee.
The revised list was forwarded to INEC in a letter jointly signed by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the party received more than 700 petitions from aggrieved members after the conclusion of its primaries.
“The party received over 700 petitions from aggrieved members following the conclusion of our shadow elections,” Morka said.
He declined to state when the final list of candidates would be released publicly, saying the party’s immediate focus was to ensure compliance with INEC’s nomination requirements.
“Our absolute immediate priority right now is ensuring that our designated candidates properly complete and return their Form EC9 nomination documents for upload ahead of the strict INEC deadline, rather than focusing on the public release of the list,” he said.
Despite the changes made by the appeal committee, the final list submitted to INEC retained many of the party’s leading figures, including four serving governors who secured the party’s tickets to contest Senate seats in the 2027 general elections.
Lawmaker representing the Nasarawa South Senatorial District, Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo, has officially resigned from the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
His resignation was contained in a letter dated July 2, 2026, and addressed to the ADC Ward Chairman in Galadimawa Ward, Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The lawmaker attributed his decision to the party’s lingering internal crisis and protracted legal disputes at the national level.
In the letter sighted on Sunday by our correspondent, Onawo said his resignation takes effect from June 15, 2026.
The lawmaker said the persistent internal wrangling and legal battles within the party made it difficult for him to pursue the developmental mandate entrusted to him by the electorate.
“It is driven by my firm belief that the prevailing circumstances within the current party structure and the endless legal battles it is currently embroiled in no longer provide the cohesion, support, and enabling environment for me to focus squarely on effectively representing my constituents and to fully realise the developmental and progressive mandate they entrusted to me,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, has revealed that the commission has received over N500 billion, which accounts for more than 50 percent of the budget allocated for the 2027 general elections.
During an interview with Arise News on Friday regarding election readiness and funding, Haruna said that the disbursement of these funds is a positive development.
However, he also highlighted INEC’s concerns regarding outstanding debts from previous elections and the timely release of the remaining funds necessary to fully implement their plans.
He said, “Currently, we have received more than half of the allocated funds, approximately N500 billion or slightly more. This represents over 50% of the total amount.
“Naturally, there are still some issues to address. We have debts from the last general election due to insufficient funding at that time.
“We owe contractors around six billion, and from the statutory allocation of over 140 billion for that year, we still have an outstanding amount of over 20 billion. I believe it was just this month that the first 500 billion was released, about a week or two ago.”
In response to concerns regarding delayed funding, Haruna stated that INEC has already commenced preparations for the 2027 elections, which includes plans to acquire additional BVAS devices and other essential election materials.
“Certainly, we are concerned. Everyone shares this concern. Ultimately, the funds must be available. Therefore, it is encouraging news that more than half has been released.
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