ADC RAISES ALARM OVER ALLEGED FORCED APC E-REGISTRATION OF CIVIL SERVANTS

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised alarm over what it described as the forced electronic registration of civil servants into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that the alleged practice threatens freedom of association and the neutrality of Nigeria’s civil service.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the party’s spokesman, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that public sector employees across the country are being pressured to participate in the APC’s ongoing e-registration exercise, a move he said is linked to the party’s national leadership.

According to the ADC, the alleged coercion is part of a coordinated effort to compel civil servants to join the ruling party under threats to their job security and career progression.

“This is unacceptable in a democratic society,” Abdullahi said, adding that compelling citizens to belong to a political party constitutes a serious violation of fundamental human rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The party said reports of the alleged practice have been emerging consistently from different parts of the country, insisting that freedom of thought, conscience, and association are inalienable rights that cannot be treated as privileges granted by any ruling party.

The ADC further argued that what the APC describes as “e-registration” is increasingly resembling economic coercion and enforced political membership.

“A political party that truly enjoys popular support does not need to conscript citizens through fear, intimidation, or the weaponisation of the payroll,” the statement read.

The party described the alleged forced registration as “state-sponsored conscription,” warning that it undermines the professionalism, neutrality, and merit-based structure of Nigeria’s civil service, which it said is constitutionally obligated to be loyal to the state rather than any political party.“

Turning civil servants into partisan hostages undermines institutional integrity and erodes public trust in governance,” the ADC said.

Dismissing the credibility of any political database allegedly compiled through intimidation, the party described such a register as a “paper tiger,” arguing that inflated membership figures achieved through coercion cannot substitute genuine public support.

“Databases do not vote; citizens do,” the ADC stated, adding that coercive tactics cannot conceal what it described as growing public dissatisfaction with a government it accused of failing to deliver economic relief, security, and hope.

The party called on relevant authorities, including the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), civil society organisations, labour unions, and the international community, to closely monitor the situation.

It warned that the alleged conduct could amount to state-enabled abuse of power, as well as violations of data privacy and fundamental human rights.