NDC EXCLUDES OBI, KWANKWASO FROM ANTI-DEFECTION PLEDGE
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By:Tajudeen Aminat
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has exempted its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, from its newly introduced anti-defection oath, a measure designed to discourage elected officials from leaving the party after securing electoral victories.
The party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, announced the exemption on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended the policy amid concerns that it may conflict with constitutional provisions.
Enekweizu maintained that the loyalty oath is rooted in the NDC constitution and is intended to protect the party from the growing trend of defections that has weakened many political parties in recent years.
According to him, party members are bound by the constitution and decisions of the party’s duly constituted authorities, just as members of any voluntary association are expected to abide by its rules.
He rejected claims that the policy is unconstitutional, insisting that individuals who voluntarily join an organisation are obligated to comply with its governing regulations.
While the party constitution requires all candidates contesting on the NDC platform to sign the anti-defection oath, Enekweizu said the leadership had made an administrative decision to exempt Obi and Kwankwaso.
“The constitution provides that every candidate running on the party’s platform should sign the oath, but the party has decided that, in this case, the requirement will not apply to the presidential candidate and his running mate,” he said.
Enekweizu explained that the policy is primarily targeted at lawmakers elected into the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly, many of whom defect to other parties shortly after winning elections.
“Our major concern is not the president or governors. It is the legislators elected on our platform who often abandon the party after gaining office,” he stated.
The NDC recently unveiled the anti-defection initiative as part of efforts to safeguard its institutional integrity. Party leaders cited the persistent movement of elected officials away from the platforms that sponsored them as a key reason for introducing the measure.
Enekweizu stressed that the NDC is focused on building a durable political institution and will not allow politicians to use the party merely as a vehicle to win elections before moving elsewhere.
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