ADC, NDC, LP React As APC Resumes Membership E-Registration Monday

By Ademu Idakwo, JAMES KWEN and HELEN ONYEMOWO FOSTER, Abuja

As campaigns get underway for the 2027 general elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday announced the reopening of the party’s membership electronic registration exercise across the country on Monday, August 31, 2026.

APC had closed its electronic registration on February 8, 2026, ahead of the party’s congresses and elective national convention.

The ruling party’s announcement was mocked by the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Labour Party, which noted that they had not shut down their registration processes since they started earlier this year. They boasted of having a better digital imprint than the APC.

On its part, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Grassroots Mobilisation Network (GMN) questioned the significance of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s decision to reopen its membership registration ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the GMN alleging that the exercise could be aimed at manipulating the polls.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in a statement yesterday, invited all stakeholders, supporters and members, old and new, to participate in the exercise.

“Existing members are expected to validate their membership, while new and intending members are encouraged to register and join the progressive family.

“Registrants must be 18 years or older and possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN).

“The E-Registration Exercise is designed to digitise the Party’s membership register, ensure the integrity of membership records, enhance efficient access to membership data for planning and management decisions, promote internal democracy, and strengthen the Party’s commitment to democratic innovation in Nigeria,” the statement added.

Reacting, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the number of registered APC members would not necessarily translate into votes, stressing that elections are determined by voters rather than party membership figures.

Abdullahi was reacting to the APC’s decision to resume its membership e-registration exercise nationwide on Monday, August 31, 2026.

“It’s not only party members who vote. How the APC manages its membership is its problem. As long as they don’t use it as the basis to rig election,” he said.

The ADC spokesman also cautioned against using party membership figures as an indication of electoral strength, saying the APC could announce a huge membership figure without such numbers translating into actual votes.

“They may soon come out to tell you that they have 50 million registered members,” Abdullahi added.

Meanwhile, the Grassroots Mobilization Network (GMN) accused the ruling party of reopening its membership registration as part of an alleged plan to manipulate the 2027 general elections.

Deputy Secretary General of the GMN, Sadiq Adamu Lwafu, said the exercise would not deter the ADC from expanding its support base and reaching out to Nigerians across political divides.

According to him, the ADC was already taking its manifesto to Nigerians, including APC members who, he said, were dissatisfied with the direction of the country.

Reacting also to the APC’s reopening of e-registration, the NDC said it is a digital political party and has never suspended its digital registration.

The NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the only period the party halted the exercise was when it had to submit its digital register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“At the NDC, we are a digital party from day one. We never suspended our digital registration exercise.

“The only period we halted it was when we had to submit our digital register to INEC. Therefore, our registration exercise is a continuous one,” he said in an interview with LEADERSHIP.

Similarly, the Labour Party (LP) said its electronic membership registration has remained open since it was flagged off, saying it never suspended the exercise like other parties did.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ken Asogwa, who spoke with LEADERSHIP, said although the party printed and submitted its register to INEC before its primaries in compliance with the Electoral Act, the portal was never shut down.

“Our e-registration process is still ongoing. People are still registering even as of today,” he said.

Asogwa said while registered members remain the party’s base, the LP is targeting a wider demographic ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to him, the party’s focus extends beyond card-carrying members to Nigerians who identify with its philosophy but do not wish to be partisan.