The All Progressives Congress, APC in Enugu state are currently under intense criticism over the manner and method by which civil servants in the state are being coerced into registering in the ongoing party’s e-registration exercise.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the party flagged off the registration exercise in the state on January 8, 2026.
It was gathered that registration was aimed at boosting the number of party members in the state against the 2027 general elections.
The target of the state APC is to roll out two million active members for the 2027 general elections in the country.
Speaking during the flag off exercise, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State said the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress aims to build a two-million-member party base.
Mbah stated this penultimate Thursday during the flag-off of the APC e-registration in his ward at Owo, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
He went further to state that the era of fragmented politics that denied the state the benefits of the centre was over.
In a statement issued by his media office, the governor described the exercise as a defining moment to solidify the movement from the People’s Democratic Party to the APC.
“It was just barely two and a half months ago that we chose partnership, progress, and chose to stop being on the sidelines. The time that we played fragmented politics is over.
“We no longer want to be on the sidelines, but we want to be at the centre and play dominant politics. This requires that we support the politics at the centre.
“So, we have a target of registering at least a minimum of two million persons here in Enugu because when we had this grand movement, it was not about Peter Mbah, the state government, or a particular arm of government. It was total.”
He stressed that the movement from the PDP to the APC in October 2025 was not to displace those already in the party, but to make it stronger and more beneficial to the people of the state.
He assured all that President Bola Tinubu’s programmes and the benefits of his policies would percolate to the grassroots in the days ahead.
“If you look at some of the programmes and policies of the government, particularly the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, it is a programme designed to empower over 8.8 million people directly,” he said.
In their remarks, the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC, Chief Emma Eneukwu, and the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the APC in Enugu State, Dr Ben Nwoye, said the aim of the e-registration was to digitalise the party’s database and align it with 21st-century realities and needs.
Civil servants allege forceful registration
Few days into the registration, our reporter gathered that the number of the registered remained very abysmally poor.
It was gathered that to avoid such recurrence, primary school teachers in the state were forcefully coerced to register or risk their monthly salary.
On Thursday, our reporter visited Adada House, venue of the registration for Nsukka local government area of the state.
One of the teachers who spoke to our reporter under anonymity said that “we were in the classroom when we were told that our local government chairman, Jude Asogwa has directed that all the teachers should come here for the e-registration.
“We were asked to come along with our Permanent Voters Card, National Identity Number and Account number. They made it compulsory for us to do the registration irrespective of our individual party affiliation.”
Asked if it is only the primary school teachers that were allegedly forced to do the registration, our source revealed that ” according to the message it also involved all the non tutorial staff of the Enugu state Universal Basic Education Board, ENSUBEB.”
According to the message obtained by WITHIN NIGERIA from another teacher at the venue of the registration, it read thus;
“Good afternoon headteachers and happy Sunday to you all.
“As a matter of urgency, the executive chairman of Nsukka Local government Area, Hon Engr Jude Asogwa requires the presence of all the teaching and Non Teaching staff in Nsukka Local government (both the dev centres) tomorrow unfailingly for E registration, which requires your NIN, Voters card and your account details at Adada hall tomorrow by 9am.
“It’s mandatory to all the teaching and Non staff of Nsukka Local government Area. Inform and organise your staff so that they come in batches to avoid living the pupils alone in the school premises without supervision.”
In Uzo-Uwani local government area, the story is almost the same.
ENSUBEB staff were asked to choose between losing their monthly or going to do the APC e-registration.
At Adani, one of the primary school teachers told WITHIN NIGERIA that ” they forced us to do the registration. They told us that if we don’t register, we will not see our January salary. Even my head teacher who is critically sick was asked to send details of his NIN, Voters Card and bank account.”
Narrating further, the teacher who preferred anonymity said that ” but when they discovered that we may revolt, given the security implications of such mass movement, they started giving each registered staff 6k rice as a compensation.”
However, following this political development some opposition members in the state have described it as political intimidation.
A member of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in the state, Chinedu Okafor told our reporter that the party is monitoring the development closely.
“All I can say now is that All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA as a party is monitoring this political development in Enugu state closely. We will issue a statement as at when due.”
APC denies forcing the ENSUBEB/local government staff to register
However, on Thursday, January 22, the All Progressives Congress in the State denied allegations that local government chairmen are coercing government workers to register or revalidate their membership with the party as a condition for receiving their salaries.
The party described the claims as false and politically motivated.
The Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee in Enugu State, Dr Ben Nwoye, dismissed the reports while speaking to journalists during the revalidation of membership of the party’s immediate past state chairman, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah, at Udi/Agbudu Ward in Udi Local Government Area.
In his words, “Look at what is happening here today. Do you see anyone being forced? Nobody here is under pressure. People are participating freely.”
He accused opposition parties of spreading misinformation to undermine the exercise.
“When you don’t have progressive ideas, the easiest thing is to resort to propaganda. No government worker in Enugu State is being forced to register with the APC,” Nwoye added.
He stated that data from the party’s registration dashboard showed that Enugu State was currently leading the South-East zone in the ongoing exercise, with Udi Local Government Area ranking first among the state’s 17 local government areas.
He attributed the turnout to internal unity within the party and growing public support for the administration of Governor Peter Mbah.
Nwoye acknowledged that some registration figures were still being uploaded due to network challenges in rural areas but insisted that available records already placed Enugu at the top in the region.