The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says it is experiencing a surge in membership despite a recent decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw recognition from rival factions within the party.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s national publicity secretary, revealed in a post shared on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) on Sunday that more than 500,000 Nigerians signed up to join the ADC within a few days of INEC’s announcement on April 1.
According to him, the spike in registrations began almost immediately after the electoral body released its statement.
He noted that between 7:00 PM on April 1 and 5:00 PM a few days later, the party recorded over half a million new members.
Registration Surge
This follows an earlier update from Abdullahi, who had disclosed that within just 12 hours of the announcement—from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM the next day—over 40,000 people had already registered through the party’s online platform.
INEC’s decision specifically targeted two factions of the ADC, reportedly led by Nafiu Bala Gombe and David Mark, which the commission said it no longer recognized. The move has since sparked controversy within the party.
At a press briefing held shortly after the development, ADC officials strongly criticized the commission, accusing it of misinterpreting a Court of Appeal ruling. The party also called for the removal of INEC’s national chairman, Joash Amupitan, alleging bias and unlawful conduct.
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In response, INEC maintained that its action was based strictly on the appellate court’s judgment and emphasised that its priority remains adherence to the rule of law.