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By 247ureports.com
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has reportedly pledged that elected officials who leave the party on whose platform they won office would lose their seats and have to contest a by-election to return, under a proposal contained in the party’s 2027 policy document, which Atiku Abubakar is presenting as part of his presidential platform.
The Proposal
According to the document as quoted in circulating summaries, “an elected official who defects to another political party would automatically lose the seat won under the original party, and be required to contest a by-election before continuing in office.” The stated aim is to “strengthen Nigeria’s laws and close the loopholes that allow politicians to change parties after elections, while retaining offices obtained through the votes of another party’s supporters.” The proposal reportedly covers governors, federal and state lawmakers and local government chairmen. 247ureports.com could not locate the policy document itself or independent coverage of this specific provision, so the details are reported as circulated.
The Stated Reasoning
Proponents argue the measure would make officials more accountable to their constituencies, forcing a lawmaker to consider whether voters backed them personally or mainly the party before thinking of defecting. They also say it would discourage defections driven by personal advantage, appointments or access to government resources, since a politician who knows a party switch triggers a by-election would be less willing to abandon the platform that won the mandate.
What the Law Already Says
Nigeria’s Constitution already addresses part of this. Sections 68(1)(g) and 109(1)(g) say a member of the National Assembly or a State House of Assembly must vacate their seat on joining another party, unless the move follows a division in the original party or a merger of parties. Courts have handled cases under these provisions inconsistently, and the “division in the party” exception has often been invoked by defectors. The Constitution has no equivalent provision for governors, their deputies or local government chairmen, which would make the ADC proposal a real extension of existing law, and likely a constitutional amendment, rather than a restatement of it.
The Context: Defections in a Crowded Field
The pledge arrives in a season of heavy party-switching. The ADC itself has lost a string of figures to rival parties this year, including Senator Tony Nwoye to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in May, and allies of Atiku and former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai to the APC. Another opposition party, the NDC, has also introduced a mandatory indemnity affidavit for its governorship and National Assembly candidates, warning that elected officials who defect will forfeit their mandates, so the idea is already on the table from more than one party.
Critics are likely to note that Atiku has himself switched parties several times over his career, most recently leaving the PDP for the ADC in 2025, and may question whether a candidate with that record is the right messenger. His supporters would answer that he is proposing a rule about elected officials leaving after winning, not about candidates choosing a platform before an election.
What’s Unclear
It is not stated how the policy would apply to genuine mergers or party splits, how it would be enacted, or whether Atiku would seek a constitutional amendment, which requires two-thirds support in the National Assembly and approval by a majority of state assemblies. No response from the APC, the NDC or the Presidency had been published at the time of this report.
