Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has recorded a significant surge in its ongoing nationwide online membership registration, with Northern Nigeria accounting for over 85 percent of the new entrants.
Data obtained from the party’s registration portal as of March 11, 2026, reveals that the ADC has successfully registered 652,143 new members. Of this total, a staggering 555,299 registrations originated from the North, while the Southern states accounted for 96,844.
Leading the charge in this membership drive are **Adamawa, Kaduna, Kano, and Kogi**, which have emerged as the party’s primary strongholds in the current exercise.
### **Regional Breakdown: North Takes the Lead**
The breakdown of the figures highlights a massive shift in political mobilization toward the ADC in the northern territories.
In the **North-East**, the party secured 256,966 members. **Adamawa State** sits at the top of the national chart with 104,998 registrations. Other contributors in the zone include Gombe (61,632), Bauchi (41,024), and Taraba (29,998).
The **North-West** recorded 201,398 members, driven largely by **Kaduna** (64,748) and Katsina (47,243), while **Kano** followed with 34,255 registrations.
In the **North-Central** zone, which recorded a total of 96,935 registrations, **Kogi State** emerged as the regional leader with 26,766 new members, followed closely by Niger State with 23,039.
Political analysts suggest that the heavy concentration of registrations in the North—a region traditionally central to the ambitions of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar—indicates a shifting political landscape ahead of the next election cycle.
### **Southern Numbers and Electoral Deadlines**
In contrast to the North, registration numbers in the South remain relatively modest. The South-West led the southern regions with 37,644 members (Lagos accounting for 14,163), followed by the South-South with 35,904, and the South-East with 23,296.
The membership drive is part of the ADC’s strategy to comply with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines. According to the Electoral Act 2026, political parties must submit their membership registers between April 1 and April 21. Only those captured in these registers will be eligible to participate in the party primaries scheduled for late April and May 2026.
### **A Platform for Heavyweights?**
The surge in ADC membership comes amid reports that three political titans—**Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi**—are eyeing the party’s presidential ticket.
While all three have reportedly shown interest in the ADC platform, sources indicate that both Obi and Amaechi have maintained they will not accept vice-presidential slots, setting the stage for a competitive primary season.
### **Obi Camp Clears the Air**
In a related development, the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) has debunked claims made by presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala regarding political overtures from the former Anambra governor.
In a statement, Obi’s media team described the claims as “misleading,” asserting that Obi does not engage in “transactional politics” and remains focused on a vision of good governance driven by voluntary citizen support rather than financial or political inducements.
As the April deadline for the submission of party registers approaches, political observers expect the ADC to intensify its mobilization efforts, particularly in the South, to balance the current northern dominance.
