The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed concern over reports alleging that civil servants in many states are being pressured to participate in the ongoing All Progressives Congress (APC) e-registration exercise.
A statement on Sunday by Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC spokesperson, alleged that the directive was coming from the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The ADC described the practice as economic coercion and forced membership, saying it violated the constitutional right to freedom of association.
The party said the reports suggested 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,” the statement reads.
The ADC said compelling any Nigerian to join a political party amounted to 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 statement reads.
The opposition party said what the APC described as e-registration was 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 weaponisation of the payroll,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC said pressuring civil servants to register for a party they do not believe in “is not party growth; it is state-sponsored conscription”.
The party said the development posed 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,” the statement added.
The party said “inflated membership figures achieved through intimidation” could not mask the “growing alienation of Nigerians from a government that has failed to deliver economic relief, security, or hope”.
The party called on the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, civil society organisations, labour unions and the international community to take note of what it described as “a state-enabled abuse of power”.
On Friday, the ruling party extended its electronic membership registration exercise to February 8.
The party said the extension, which was moved from the earlier January 31 deadline, followed requests from stakeholders to allow more supporters and members to register and validate their membership.
On January 12, Ajibola Basiru, national secretary of the APC, said the party’s digitally verified membership will rise to between eight and nine million within two weeks of the start of its nationwide re-validation exercise.
