African Democratic Congress chairman raises alarm over slow membership registration in Anambra as mobilisation intensifies

Political mobilisation ahead of Nigeria’s next electoral cycle is beginning to expose technical and organisational strains inside opposition parties. In Anambra State, the local leadership of the African Democratic Congress says thousands of potential members are struggling to complete registration as system congestion disrupts the party’s nationwide membership drive.

The warning comes at a moment when the party is trying to convert growing interest into a structured political base.

The Anambra chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Patrick Obianyo, says the party’s ongoing membership registration and revalidation exercise is being hampered by a slow and overloaded digital portal.

Speaking during the inauguration of the state chapter of the ADC Independent Campaign Council, a support group established to expand the party’s grassroots network, Obianyo said only about 22,000 people had been successfully registered in the state as of mid-week.

The number falls well short of the state chapter’s 120,000-member target.

According to him, large numbers of supporters have been arriving at registration centres only to leave disappointed after hours of failed attempts to complete the process.

Party officials, he said, have begun collecting personal data such as names and bank verification numbers from intending members in order to attempt registration later at night when website traffic reduces.

“It was only around midnight that we managed to register a few more people,” he explained, describing the system slowdown as the biggest obstacle facing the mobilisation exercise.

The registration exercise is part of a wider political realignment unfolding inside Nigeria’s opposition space.

Several platforms, including national newspapers and political reporting sites, have focused mainly on the symbolic launch of the exercise and the participation of high-profile politicians. For example, reports on the launch highlighted that former Anambra governor Peter Obi formally registered with the party during the mobilisation event, signalling deeper opposition coalition efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections.

However, those reports largely emphasised the political symbolism of Obi’s move while giving less attention to the operational challenge now emerging — whether the party’s infrastructure can handle a sudden surge in membership interest.

That gap is becoming more visible at the state level.

The surge in membership interest in Anambra did not emerge in isolation.

Political observers say the momentum is partly linked to opposition attempts to consolidate supporters under the ADC platform after months of party defections and coalition discussions.

In early March, party leaders launched a statewide mobilisation campaign across Anambra’s 21 local government areas, encouraging both online and physical registration to expand the party’s grassroots base.

Yet the technical infrastructure supporting that effort appears to be struggling with demand.

Obianyo warned that unless the portal improves quickly, the party risks slowing the momentum it is trying to build.

At the inauguration ceremony, he urged members of the newly formed campaign council to intensify outreach and recruitment while the registration difficulties are being resolved.

Political messaging intensifies

The mobilisation event also carried a clear political tone.

The national coordinator of the campaign council, Jaja Anthony Ibiam, told party members that Nigeria faces a critical political moment and urged them to expand the party’s support base ahead of the next election cycle.

He argued that opposition mobilisation will be crucial if Nigeria is to change its current political trajectory.

The remarks reflect the increasingly confrontational rhetoric between opposition groups and the ruling party as political actors begin positioning for future national contests.

The immediate challenge for the ADC is no longer just attracting supporters — it is converting enthusiasm into an organised political structure.

If technical problems continue to frustrate potential members, the party risks losing early momentum in one of the regions where opposition mobilisation appears strongest.

What the party leadership does next — whether by upgrading its digital infrastructure or expanding offline registration systems — could determine whether the current surge in interest becomes a durable political base ahead of the next electoral cycle.