NDC Exempts Obi, Kwankwaso from Anti-Defection Oath

The Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) has decided to exempt presidential candidates Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso from the party's newly introduced anti-defection oath. This oath is intended to discourage elected officials from abandoning the party on which they were elected.

Ikenna Enekweizu, the party's national secretary, disclosed this information during an interview on Channel Television's Politics Today. He explained that the oath is designed to reflect the party's internal rules and bind members to the decisions made by the party's legitimate structure.

While ordinarily, candidates are required to sign an affidavit to this effect, the party leadership has made an administrative decision to exempt presidential and vice-presidential candidates from this requirement. The main focus of the anti-defection measures is to protect the party's structure and prevent elected officials from switching parties, which has been a recurring issue in Nigeria's democracy, contributing to instability within party structures.