Over 500,000 Nigerians Joined ADC After INEC Derecognition — Bolaji Abdullahi
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has recorded a sharp rise in membership following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s decision to delist Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s national chairman and national secretary.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement posted on his X account on Sunday.
According to him, the party’s membership increased from over 40,000 registrations on April 2 to more than 500,000 new members between April 1 and Sunday.
INEC had on April 1 announced the delisting through its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
The commission said its action followed a court order directing it to maintain the status quo pending the determination of a suit challenging the legality of Mark’s leadership.
As part of the move, INEC removed the names of Mark and Aregbesola from its official portal.
The electoral body also stated that it would not recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe, who had approached the court seeking to be declared the party’s national chairman.
Haruna explained that the commission had received conflicting legal communications from rival camps in the leadership tussle.
He said one of the letters, from Suleiman Usman SAN & Co., cautioned INEC against recognising Gombe.
Another letter, from Summit Law Chambers, urged the commission to enforce the Court of Appeal judgment which affirmed Gombe’s position.
Reacting, Abdullahi described the development as “a calculated attempt to undermine democratic structures.”
He was joined by the Peoples Democratic Party’s spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, who also condemned the action and called on supporters to mobilise in defence of democratic principles.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
