Vice-President Kashim Shettima has criticised the African Democratic Congress over reported irregularities in its digital membership registration, accusing the opposition party of hypocrisy after its earlier advocacy for electronic transmission of election results.
He alleged that shortly after the portal was opened, it was flooded with fictitious entries, raising questions about the credibility of the exercise as political activities gather momentum ahead of 2027.
The development comes amid heightened exchanges between the ruling party and opposition groups over electoral reforms and preparations for the next general election cycle.
Shettima made the remarks on Wednesday during an interfaith breaking of fast attended by federal ministers and hosted by President Bola Tinubu.
“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,” he said.
Quoting Winston Churchill, the vice-president added, “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.”
He also dismissed allegations that opposition governors were pressured into defecting, stating, “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.”
The ADC commenced its nationwide online registration on 1 March in preparation for the 2027 elections and in line with the amended Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, later acknowledging on Tuesday that anomalies such as incorrect details, fake names and mismatched photographs had been detected and addressed on the platform.
