The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says its membership has risen sharply to over 500,000 following recent developments involving its leadership.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that registrations increased from about 40,000 on April 2 to more than 500,000 within days.

The surge comes after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delisted David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola as the party’s national chairman and national secretary, respectively.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, announced the decision on April 1, citing a court order directing the commission to maintain the status quo pending the resolution of a suit challenging the party’s leadership.

The commission also declined to recognise Nafiu Bala Gombe, who had sought to be declared national chairman through the courts.

According to INEC, it received conflicting legal communications from rival factions, including a cautionary letter from Suleiman Usman SAN & Co. advising against recognising Gombe, and another from Summit Law Chambers urging enforcement of a Court of Appeal judgment affirming his position.

Reacting, Abdullahi, alongside Ini Ememobong of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described the situation as a “calculated attempt to undermine democratic structures.”

They called on supporters to mobilise in defence of democratic principles amid the ongoing crisis.