ADC opens online membership portal, mandates digital revalidation

The African Democratic Congress has commenced free nationwide online membership registration, unveiling a new digital portal as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.

ADC, in a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also instructed existing members to update and revalidate their details in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and the guidelines of INEC.

PUNCH Online reports that on February 13, the Independent National Electoral Commission initially scheduled the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections for Saturday, February 20, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections were fixed for Saturday, March 6, 2027.

However, the timetable attracted criticism from some Muslim stakeholders who noted that the dates fell within the 2027 Ramadan period.

Following the concerns, the Nigerian Senate amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, reducing the mandatory election notice period from 360 days to 300 days, thereby allowing INEC to adjust the timetable.

INEC later released a revised schedule on Thursday, signed by its Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, moving the Presidential and National Assembly elections to January 16, 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections to February 6, 2027.

Under the updated timetable, political parties are required to submit a comprehensive digital membership register by April 2, 2026—a requirement that some stakeholders argue may effectively sideline opposition parties.

The ADC, which began its membership registration exercise last month, stated that manual registration will continue concurrently nationwide.

The party stated, “The African Democratic Congress has officially commenced free online membership registration across Nigeria, following the successful kick-off of its nationwide registration and revalidation exercise in Abuja last month.

“The new digital registration platform, accessible via www.adcregistration.ng, is designed to enable the party to meet the requirements of the new Electoral Act 2026 regarding the digital membership register. Accordingly, only individuals whose membership details are fully captured and verified in the Party’s official digital register will be eligible to vote or be voted for in the Party’s primaries.

“Since the launch of the physical and grassroots membership exercise in February, we have recorded strong interest from Nigerians across states and the diaspora. Apart from meeting legal requirements, the introduction of the free online option is designed to remove barriers to entry, simplify enrolment, and ensure that every eligible Nigerian who wishes to identify with the ADC can do so seamlessly and securely.

“Members who have registered on the Party’s previous platform are also required to revalidate their membership on the new digital portal, as additional mandatory information is now required to ensure full compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.”

ADC further urged support groups and associations to utilise this opportunity by signing up at www.adcregistration.ng and completing the straightforward onboarding process.

It continued, “ADC would like to emphasise that this exercise is without prejudice to our firm objections to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 that give undue advantage to the ruling party, as well as the consequential INEC timetable.

“The African Democratic Congress remains committed to building a modern, inclusive, and citizen-driven political movement capable of delivering credible leadership and a better Nigeria that works for all.”