Fresh allegations of political coercion have emerged in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, where teachers and civil servants are accused of being pressured to compulsorily register with Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under threat of job loss.
According to multiple accounts circulating on social media and local networks, staff of Nsukka Local Government—both teaching and non-teaching—were directed to attend a mandatory APC electronic registration exercise at Adada Hall, with explicit instructions to present their National Identification Number (NIN), voter’s card and bank account details.
A message allegedly sent to head teachers, seen by this publication, described the directive as “urgent” and “mandatory,” warning that non-compliance could attract sanctions. The message instructed school heads to organise staff attendance in batches to avoid leaving pupils unsupervised, suggesting the order applied across schools within the local government.
The directive has sparked outrage among rights advocates and residents, who argue that compelling public servants to register with a political party violates constitutional protections of freedom of conscience, association and political choice.
“No government—local, state or federal—has the legal or moral authority to force citizens to trade their political beliefs for economic survival,” one civil society activist said. “Public service is not conditional on party loyalty.”
Critics also questioned the demand for sensitive personal information, including bank details, describing it as alarming and potentially unlawful. Nigeria’s constitution and electoral laws do not mandate party registration as a condition for public employment, nor do they permit political parties to collect financial data from citizens as part of membership drives.
The allegations have deepened fears of creeping authoritarianism ahead of the 2027 general elections, with observers warning that forced registrations could be aimed at inflating party numbers or laying groundwork for voter manipulation.
“Political participation must be driven by conviction, not fear,” another local resident said. “Election season has not even begun, yet intimidation is already being deployed.”
The development has renewed debate about the politicisation of local government structures in Nigeria and the vulnerability of teachers and low-level civil servants to political pressure. Education unions and labour groups are being urged to intervene, while legal experts say affected workers may have grounds to challenge the directive in court if the allegations are substantiated.
As of press time, the Nsukka Local Government authorities had not issued an official response to the claims. The APC has also not publicly addressed the allegations.
For many residents, the controversy underscores a broader concern: that democratic participation in Nigeria is increasingly being shaped not by persuasion, but by coercion.
