The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is seeing a large number of new members joining its ranks as it prepares for Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
Recent figures from the party’s ongoing online registration show that most of these new members are from northern Nigeria.
Data from the registration exercise, covering all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, shows that as of Wednesday, 11 March 2026, a total of 652,143 people had registered as new members.
Out of this number, 555,299 members came from northern Nigeria, while 96,844 members were from the southern part of the country. The figures were obtained from the ongoing registration process.
Election Timeline and Party Requirements
The registration drive is taking place ahead of the timeline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the updated election timetable released on 26 February 2026, political parties must submit their membership registers to INEC between April 1 and April 21. This follows the rule in Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which says that membership lists must be submitted no later than 300 days before an election.
After submitting these registers, parties will move to the next stage of the process — party primaries.
The primaries are scheduled to take place from April 23 to May 30. During this period, parties will select the candidates who will represent them in the general elections.
Only people who are officially registered members of a party will be allowed to vote in these primaries.
How Candidates Will Be Chosen
Under Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties can choose their candidates using two methods:
- Direct primaries, where all registered party members vote.
- Consensus, where party leaders and stakeholders agree on a candidate.
Dates for the 2027 Elections
Nigeria’s next general elections have already been scheduled:
- Presidential and National Assembly elections: 14 January 2027
- Governorship and State Assembly elections: 6 February 2027
Key Presidential Aspirants in ADC
So far, three major politicians have shown interest in contesting the ADC presidential ticket:
- Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria
- Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party
- Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation
All three politicians have said they want to run for president.
Both Obi and Amaechi have also made it clear that they are not interested in becoming a vice-presidential running mate.
Political Background
In the 2019 presidential election, Atiku and Obi ran together as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
However, in the 2023 election, they ran separately. Atiku remained with the PDP, while Obi contested under the Labour Party.
Amaechi, who was part of the All Progressives Congress (APC), contested the party’s presidential primaries in 2023 but lost to current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
With registration ongoing and party primaries approaching, the ADC is expected to see more political activity and competition as the race toward the 2027 elections gathers momentum.
A breakdown of the registration figures
A further breakdown of the data shows that in the North East geopolitical zone, a total of 256,966 have registered so far, with Adamawa – 104,998; Bauchi – 41,024; Borno – 11,100; Gombe – 61,632; Taraba – 29,998; Yobe – 8,214.
In the South East geopolitical zone, a total of 23,296 members have been registered so far, with Abia registering 2,991; Anambra – 6,260; Ebonyi – 1,578; Enugu – 4,565; and Imo – 7,902.
In the South South geopolitical zone, a total of 35,904 persons have registered so far, with Akwa Ibom – 5,733; Bayelsa – 1,610; Cross River – 7,007; Delta – 6,398; Edo – 4,189; and Rivers – 10,967.
In the North Central geopolitical zone, the total number is 96,935, with Benue – 15,870; Kogi – 26,766; Kwara – 3,947; Nasarawa – 12,690; Niger – 23,039; Plateau – 5,625; and FCT (Abuja) – 8,998.
In the South West, the number of ADC registered members is 37,644, with Ekiti – 1,097; Lagos – 14,163; Ogun – 3,916; Ondo – 7,651; Osun – 3,470; and Oyo – 7,347.
In the North West, the number so far registered as ADC members as of March 11 was 201,398, with Jigawa – 14,699; Kaduna – 64,748; Kano – 34,255; Katsina – 47,243; Kebbi – 19,867; Sokoto – 10,089; and Zamfara – 10,497.
Based on the data so far, the north, where Atiku hails from, has more than 70 per cent of the total membership register.
In fact, members registered in Adamawa, Kaduna, and Gombe alone are more than the total members registered in all the 17 southern states.
On the other hand, in the south, where Obi and Amaechi hail from, a large concentration of their supporters has registered less than 25 per cent of total registrations.
