The Nigeria Democratic Congress has excluded its presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, from a newly introduced party requirement mandating candidates to sign an anti-defection oath.
The party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Enekweizu explained that the oath, which is intended to discourage elected officials from abandoning the party after elections, is grounded in the NDC constitution and reflects internal rules binding on all members.
He argued that political parties operate as voluntary associations whose members are expected to abide by agreed rules and decisions taken by legitimate party structures.
“First and foremost, a political party is like any other association, and every member who subscribes to the membership of the party is bound by the provisions of the constitution of the party and decisions taken by the party’s properly constituted authorities.
“Within NDC, the decision to make people sign that affidavit is provided for in our constitution,” he said.
While insisting that all candidates are ordinarily required to sign the oath, Enekweizu revealed that the party leadership had made an administrative decision to exempt the presidential and vice-presidential candidates from the requirement.
“The constitution says everybody running under the platform of the party has to sign, but the party has taken the administrative decision that those required to sign in this instance do not include the presidential candidate and his vice,” he stated.
He added that the policy was mainly designed to address the frequent defection of lawmakers at both national and state levels after elections.
“Our main focus is not the governor; it’s not the president, it’s the national and state assembly members elected on the platform of our party,” he said.
According to him, the anti-defection measure was introduced to protect the party’s structure and prevent elected officials from using it merely as an electoral platform before defecting after securing office.
Enekweizu said the party remains committed to building a stable political institution capable of sustaining loyalty, discipline and long-term cohesion.
Political defections have long been a recurring feature of Nigeria’s democracy, with elected officials at various levels often switching parties after elections, sometimes citing internal disputes, ideological differences or political realignments.
Over the years, this trend has contributed to instability within party structures and weakened opposition platforms, prompting several parties to introduce internal rules aimed at enforcing loyalty among members.