Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has disclosed that more than 500,000 Nigerians have joined the party following the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to derecognise its two factions.
Gatekeepers News reports that the party has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership tussle since July 2025, when an opposition coalition took over its structure. The crisis involved rival claims to leadership between a faction linked to Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former deputy national chairman, and another aligned with David Mark.
The situation eventually led to legal battles, culminating in INEC’s decision to withdraw recognition from both groups. The electoral body said its action was based on a March 12 ruling of the Court of Appeal and announced it would not engage with either faction pending the outcome of a case before the Federal High Court. It also stated it would stay away from their meetings and activities for now.
Despite the development, Abdullahi said the party has witnessed a sharp rise in new members within a short period.
“Between 7:00 PM on April 1st, when @inecnigeria released its statement, and 5:00 PM today, over half a million (500,000) new Nigerians have joined the ADC,” he wrote.
He had earlier indicated a similar trend shortly after the announcement.
“Between 7:00 PM last night when the INEC Statement came out, and 7:00 AM this morning, over 40,000 people have registered to join ADC on http://adcregistration.ng,” he posted.
Meanwhile, the party has accused INEC of misinterpreting the appellate court ruling and called for the removal of its national chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, alleging bias and unlawful conduct.
INEC, however, defended its position, insisting that its decision was guided strictly by the court judgment and aimed at upholding the rule of law.
The commission added that the move was necessary to avoid scenarios like those previously recorded in states such as Zamfara and Plateau, where court rulings led to the removal of elected officials.
