By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised concerns over what it described as the forced registration of civil servants into the All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that public sector workers in several states are being coerced to participate in the ruling party’s ongoing e-registration exercise.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC warned that compelling civil servants to join a political party amounts to economic coercion, violates constitutional rights, and threatens the neutrality of the civil service.
The party said it had received “disturbing reports” from different parts of the country indicating that government workers were being pressured, allegedly under directives from the APC’s national leadership, to register for the ruling party as a condition for job security, career advancement, or continued access to their livelihoods.
According to the ADC, such actions, if confirmed, would constitute a gross violation of the fundamental rights to freedom of thought, conscience and association as guaranteed by the Constitution.
“Compelling any Nigerian to join a political party is unacceptable in a democratic society,” the party said, adding that freedom of association is an inalienable right that cannot be abridged by any government or political organisation.
The opposition party further argued that the APC’s e-registration exercise, rather than reflecting genuine political support, was increasingly taking on the character of “state-sponsored conscription.”
“A political party that truly enjoys popular support does not need to recruit members through fear, intimidation or the weaponisation of the payroll,” the statement said.
The ADC also warned that politicising the civil service could undermine its professionalism and institutional integrity, stressing that the civil service is expected to remain neutral and loyal to the state, not to any political party.
“Turning civil servants into partisan hostages erodes public trust in governance and damages the foundations of a merit-based public service,” the party added.
The ADC dismissed the idea that a digitally expanded party register obtained through coercion could translate into electoral success, noting that “databases do not vote; citizens do.”
It cautioned that inflated membership figures achieved under pressure may serve propaganda purposes but would not address what it described as growing public dissatisfaction with the government over economic hardship, insecurity and governance challenges.
The party called on relevant authorities, including the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, labour unions, civil society organisations and the international community, to closely monitor the situation, warning that the alleged actions could amount to abuses of power, data privacy violations and infringements on human rights.
