Follow Us on Google
By Lawrence Agbo
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) 32-day deadline for the submission of a nationwide digital membership register, describing it as practically impossible to meet.
Speaking on the issue on Channels TV, Politics Today, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, stated that the timetable stipulated in InEC’s timetable for the 2027 general election places a burden on political parties, especially thoseoutside the ruling party.
Abdullahi explained that under the provisions of the Electoral Act, parties are required to submit a digitised membership register covering all 36 states of the federation as part of the process for fielding candidates.
According to him, the commission’s timetable effectively gives parties just over a month to complete the exercise and notify INEC of their congresses or conventions.
“It is very clear, when INEC released its timetable, that some of the requirements we will need to meet to be able to field candidates for the 2027 election, as contained in the Electoral Act, are almost impossible for us to meet.
Other News
“What the law expects us to do is that within the next 32 days or so, we will have a digitalised membership register in all the 36 states of the federation that we will be able to submit to INEC while giving them notice of our congresses or convention,” he said.
“It is very clear, when INEC released its timetable, that some of the requirements we will need to meet to be able to field candidates for the 2027 election, as contained in the Electoral Act, are almost impossible for us to meet,” he said.
He continued by saying that it is logistically and technically difficult to create a reliable and verifiable digital membership record nationwide in 32 days, requiring infrastructure, data collection, verification systems, and qualified staff.
Abdullahi made a contrast with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), pointing out that the party apparently started registering new members as early as February 2025 and hired experts to create a digital register in advance of the 2027 elections.
“What took them more than one year to do is what they expect us to do within one month,” he stated.
He further urged INEC to reevaluate or clarify the implementation framework in order to guarantee equity for all political parties, cautioning that such timetables could compromise the idea of a level playing field in the electoral process.
