E-Registration: ‘APC Forcing Civil Servants to Join ruling Party’, ADC raises alarm

The African Democratic Party (ADC) has expressed concerns over alleged coercion of civil servants and government workers to  join the All Progressives Congress (APC) e-registration.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said reports coming from several states indicated that workers were being pressured to participate in the ongoing APC membership registration.

“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) expresses deep concern over disturbing reports emerging from several states across the country indicating that civil servants and government workers are being coerced, under pressure from the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to register for the ruling party’s ongoing e-registration exercise.” the ADC said.

The party said the development suggests an attempt to force workers to surrender their freedom of association in exchange for job security, describing it as unacceptable as it violates fundamental humans rights.

“These reports, which are consistent and widespread, suggest a coordinated attempt to compel public servants to surrender their freedom of association as a condition for job security, career progression, or continued access to livelihood. This is unacceptable in a democratic society.”

“It is important to reiterate that compelling any Nigerian to join a political party is a gross violation of their fundamental human rights, as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Freedom of thought, conscience, and association are not privileges to be granted by the ruling party; they are inalienable rights that no government has the authority to abridge.”

The ADC noted that any political party with strong support base does not need to resort to intimidation or weaponisation of payrol, adding that forcing workers to register for a party they do not believe in amounts to what it called state-sponsored conscription.

“What the APC describes as ‘e-registration’ is increasingly beginning to resemble economic coercion and forced membership. A political party that truly enjoys popular support does not need to conscript its citizens through fear, intimidation, or the weaponization of the payroll. When civil servants are pressured to register for a party that they do not believe in, that is not party growth; it is state-sponsored conscription.

“This development also poses a grave threat to the integrity and professionalism of the Nigerian and state civil services. The civil service is meant to be neutral, merit-based, and loyal to the state and the country, not to any political party. Turning civil servants into partisan hostages undermines institutional integrity and erodes public trust in governance.”

Warning that inflated figures achieved through intimidation could not hide the ”current administration’s failure”, the coalition opposition called on relevant authorities to take action against what it termed abuse of power and potential violation of data privacy and human rights.

“We further warn that a database filled through coercion is a paper tiger. A digital register does not translate to genuine political support. Databases do not vote; citizens do. Inflated numbers achieved through intimidation may serve propaganda purposes, but they cannot disguise the growing alienation of Nigerians from a government that has failed to deliver economic relief, security, or hope.

“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.”

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