The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised the alarm over disturbing reports that civil servants and government workers in several states are being coerced to participate in the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s ongoing e-registration exercise, allegedly under pressure from the party’s national leadership.
The ADC condemns this practice in the strongest terms, describing it as economic coercion and forced political membership, which violates the constitutional right of Nigerians to freedom of association and gravely undermines the neutrality of the civil service.
According to consistent and widespread reports reaching the party, civil servants are being compelled to register for the APC under threats linked to job security, career progression, or continued access to their means of livelihood. Such actions are unacceptable in a democratic society and have no place in a constitutional order.
The ADC reiterates that compelling any Nigerian to join a political party constitutes a gross violation of fundamental human rights as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Freedom of thought, conscience, and association are inalienable rights—not privileges to be dispensed or withdrawn by any ruling party or government authority.
What the APC presents as “e-registration” is increasingly beginning to resemble economic coercion and state-enabled forced membership. A political party that genuinely enjoys popular support does not need to conscript citizens through fear, intimidation, or the weaponisation of the payroll. When public servants are pressured to register for a party they do not believe in, that is not political mobilisation; it is state-sponsored conscription.
This disturbing development also poses a serious threat to the integrity and professionalism of the Nigerian civil service. The civil service is constitutionally designed to be neutral, merit-based, and loyal to the state—not subservient to any political party. Turning civil servants into partisan hostages undermines institutional credibility and erodes public trust in governance.
The ADC further cautions that a database built through coercion is ultimately meaningless. Inflated figures achieved through intimidation may serve short-term propaganda purposes, but databases do not vote—citizens do. Forced registration cannot conceal the growing alienation of Nigerians from a government that continues to struggle with economic hardship, insecurity, and a deficit of public confidence.
In light of these developments, the ADC calls on relevant authorities, including the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), labour unions, civil society organisations, and the international community, to take urgent note of what appears to be an abuse of state power and a potential violation of data protection laws and fundamental human rights.
The ADC remains committed to defending democracy, constitutional freedoms, and the right of every Nigerian to make political choices free from fear, coercion, or intimidation.
