The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has introduced an indemnity affidavit requiring all its candidates to commit to relinquishing their seats if they defect from the party after winning an election.
The party said the measure is aimed at strengthening party discipline and demonstrating its commitment to internal democracy and the rule of law.
Speaking at the unveiling of the policy, the party’s national legal adviser said candidates seeking to contest on the platform of the NDC must submit the affidavit alongside their nomination documents before their names can be forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The National Working Committee of this party has resolved that without this affidavit being attached to your credentials that will be submitted along with your nomination form, your name cannot be uploaded,” he said.
“We are very serious about it.”
The legal adviser said the requirement reflects the party’s determination to build a political institution rather than a platform driven by personal interests.
“This political party is not a movement,” he said.
“It is a political institution that has come into existence legally, and we want to follow the law hook, line and sinker.”
GET YOUR AFFIDAVIT
According to him, all candidates whose names emerged from the party’s primary elections must approach a competent high court to depose the affidavit before a commissioner for oaths.
“My advice is that if you are a candidate and your name is being forwarded from the primary election, please kindly approach any nearby high court of justice to depose the affidavit before a competent commissioner for oaths,” he said.
“The affidavit will be attached to your credentials, which will also be attached to your nomination form and then submitted to the appropriate authority for transmission of your name to the Independent National Electoral Commission.”
The party said the initiative was designed to assure Nigerians that it intends to operate differently from established political parties.
