The African Democratic Congress has claimed a massive membership increase following the recent decision by Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw recognition from its two contending factions.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed that more than 500,000 Nigerians registered with the party within days of the electoral commission’s announcement.

According to him, the surge began immediately after INEC issued its statement on April 1, noting that between 7:00 p.m. that day and 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, over half a million new members had joined the party through its online registration platform.

Abdullahi, in a post shared on his X handle, wrote: “Between 7:00 PM on April 1st, when INEC released its statement, and 5:00 PM today, over half a million new Nigerians have joined the ADC.”

He had earlier revealed that within the first 12 hours after the commission’s announcement, more than 40,000 people had already registered to become members of the party.

The party has been enmeshed in a prolonged leadership crisis since July 2025, when an opposition coalition assumed control of its structure, resulting in rival claims to leadership by the faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe and another loyal to David Mark.

The internal dispute later degenerated into legal battles, prompting INEC to suspend official engagement with both factions after citing a March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal.

In a statement issued by Mohammed Haruna, commissioner for information and voter education, INEC explained that it would not recognise meetings, congresses, conventions, or decisions from either group pending the final determination of the matter before the Federal High Court.

Reacting to the commission’s decision, ADC accused INEC of misinterpreting the appellate court judgment and alleged that the electoral body acted in a partisan manner.

At a press briefing last Thursday, the party insisted that the commission’s position was unlawful and further demanded the removal of Joash Amupitan from office.

INEC, however, defended its action, maintaining that its decision was guided strictly by judicial pronouncements and aimed at preventing legal complications similar to past electoral disputes witnessed in Zamfara State and Plateau State .