Vice-President Kashim Shettima has criticised the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over irregularities in its digital membership registration exercise, mocking the opposition party after it earlier pushed for electronic transmission of election results.
Shettima made the remarks on Wednesday during an interfaith breaking of fast attended by federal ministers and hosted by President Bola Tinubu.
At the event, the Vice-President alleged that the ADC’s online membership registration portal had been overwhelmed by “fictitious” entries shortly after it was opened.
“The same alliance for democratic confusion that was adamant that we should have electronic transmission of votes. They opened their portal for the registration of new members, and it was overwhelmed by the avalanche of fake names, fictitious identities, and so on.
“You and I know, but as Winston Churchill said, truth is so precious that it has to be surrounded by a bodyguard of lies. Lies, lies, lies [are] what is driving the opposition in this country,” Shettima said.
The vice president also dismissed claims that opposition governors were coerced into joining the ruling party.
“The political season is around the corner. I will ask you. I am imploring all of us; we are all political animals. We have to sell our government. Politically speaking, we are in a more comfortable position now than in 2023.
“And nobody has hand twisted the governors, or Rivers, or Delta, or Akwa Ibom, or Kano, or Adamawa, or Taraba, or Enugu, to join the APC. It’s of their own volition because they have seen the light,” he stated,
READ ALSO: ADC Faults Revised 2027 Timetable, Says Fielding Candidates ‘Almost Impossible’
The ADC began its nationwide online membership registration on 1 March as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections and in compliance with the amended Electoral Act.
The party also asked existing members to update and revalidate their records in line with the provisions of the new law and the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, the exercise reportedly experienced several irregularities, including incorrect details, fake names, National Identification Numbers, and mismatched photographs, raising concerns about the integrity of the process.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party said it had corrected the anomalies discovered on its digital membership platform after widespread reports of fictitious entries.
The development comes amid ADC’s criticism of INEC over the revised timetable for the 2027 elections, released following the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026.
Timeline, Fielding Candidates’ Concerns
Last Friday, the party rejected the new schedule, warning that the timeline and legal requirements could make it “almost impossible” for opposition parties to field candidates.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the rejection was linked to the ADC’s broader objection to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
“The rejection of the timetable is only consequential to our rejection of the Electoral Act 2026. It is very clear when INEC released its timetable that some of the requirements we will need to meet to field candidates for the 2027 elections, as contained in the Act, are almost impossible for us to meet,” he said.
Abdullahi explained that the law requires political parties to submit a fully digitalised membership register across all 36 states within a limited timeframe when notifying INEC of their congresses or conventions.
“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 conventions. It is almost practically impossible for us to do this,” he said.
He further alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had a significant advantage in meeting the requirement.
“We know for a fact that the ruling APC has commenced membership registration since February 2025 and actually hired a consultant to help them in the process of developing a digital register ahead of the 2027 election.
“What took them more than one year to do is what they expect us to do in one month,” Abdullahi added.
According to him, the provisions of the new law amount to deliberate obstacles designed to weaken opposition participation.
“Even in practical terms, these are booby traps set in the path of opposition parties because if you look at the law, it says our failure to comply means we will not be able to field candidates for the election… It is all part of the game plan,” he said.
Revised Timetable
Meanwhile, INEC recently revised the timetable for the 2027 general elections following the passage of the Electoral Act 2026.
Under the new schedule, presidential and National Assembly elections will be held on January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027. The elections were moved earlier to avoid overlapping with Ramadan.
Key pre-election activities include party primaries scheduled from April 23 to May 30, 2026. Campaigns for presidential and National Assembly elections will begin on August 19, while governorship and state assembly campaigns will commence on September 9. Campaigns must end 24 hours before each election.
INEC also shifted the Osun State governorship election from August 8 to 15 August 2026, while other electoral activities in Osun and Ekiti states will proceed in line with the provisions of the new law.
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