The National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party, Sani Yusuf Yabagi, has disclosed that the party has introduced strict measures aimed at discouraging elected officials from defecting after securing political positions on the party’s platform.………
Yabagi, who previously served as the national chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, made the remarks during an interview on AIT News on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
During the interview, the ADP chairman acknowledged that the party had previously experienced defections involving individuals elected under its platform. “Yeah, we had defections,” he said.
The interviewer argued that some politicians often join smaller parties after disagreements elsewhere, secure elective positions, and later defect to another platform once elected.
Responding, Yabagi said the ADP had learned from previous experiences and had now established tougher internal conditions for prospective candidates. “Yeah, but I can tell you for free that in our party, I’m not sure that will happen this time around because we’ve learned our bitter lessons,” he stated.
According to him, the party has introduced agreements requiring political aspirants to commit themselves to the platform before receiving tickets. “We’ve made it such that if you are going to part, you know, you want to defect, you have to pay a lot,” he said.
When asked whether the party had introduced financial penalties for defection, Yabagi confirmed that such arrangements were included in agreements signed by candidates before nomination. “Yes. It has to be, of course, signed before we give you a ticket. You have to sign,” he said.
The ADP chairman further stated that individuals seeking to leave the party after winning elections on its platform could face significant financial consequences. “You have to pay us, you know, some billions before you go,” he added.
Explaining the rationale behind the arrangement, Yabagi said the agreements were designed to ensure loyalty to the party and protect the investments made in supporting candidates during elections. “The content is that you are loyal to the party, which is number one, you know, prerequisite of every political party. The party is supreme,” he stated.
He criticised situations where politicians use a party’s structure to secure electoral victory before defecting to another platform, especially ruling parties, without considering the sacrifices made by party members.
