The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged that civil servants and other government workers in several states are being compelled to register electronically with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party claimed that public sector employees are facing pressure to participate in the APC’s ongoing e-registration exercise, allegedly linked to the party’s national leadership.
The ADC said reports of the alleged practice have been consistently emerging from different parts of the country, suggesting what it described as a coordinated attempt to force civil servants to relinquish their constitutional right to freedom of association in exchange for job security, career progression, or continued access to their livelihoods.
“This is unacceptable in a democratic society,” Abdullahi stated, adding that compelling citizens to belong to a political party represents a serious breach of fundamental human rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The party stressed that freedom of thought, conscience, and association are inalienable rights and cannot be treated as privileges granted by any ruling party.
According to the ADC, 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 weaponization of the payroll,” the party said.
It further argued that forcing civil servants to register with a party they do not support amounts to “state-sponsored conscription,” rather than genuine political expansion.
The ADC also warned that the alleged actions threaten the neutrality and professionalism of Nigeria’s civil service, which it noted is constitutionally required to be merit-based and loyal to the state, not to any political party.
“Turning civil servants into partisan hostages undermines institutional integrity and erodes public trust in governance,” the party said.
Dismissing the credibility of any political database allegedly compiled through intimidation, the ADC described such a register as a “paper tiger.”
“Databases do not vote; citizens do,” the party stated, maintaining that inflated membership figures achieved through coercion may serve propaganda purposes but cannot mask what it described as increasing public dissatisfaction with a government that has failed to deliver economic relief, security, or hope.
The ADC called on relevant authorities, including the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), civil society organizations, labour unions, and the international community, to closely observe 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.
“The ADC calls on relevant authorities, including the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), civil society organizations, labour unions, and the international community, to take serious note of what increasingly appears to be a state-enabled abuse of power and a potential violation of data privacy and human rights,” Abdullahi stated.
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