Former Senate President David Mark, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), announced his resignation from the party on June 27, 2025, after 27 years, citing “deepening divisions, persistent leadership crisis, and irreconcilable differences” that have reduced the PDP to a “shadow of its former self” and exposed it to public embarrassment.
In a letter addressed to the PDP Chairman of Otukpo Ward 1, Benue State, Mark expressed disappointment over the party’s decline, stating, “I have worked steadfastly to rebuild, reconcile, and reposition the party, efforts which helped restore the PDP to national relevance. However, recent events have subjected it to public ridicule.” He confirmed his decision to join the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria, under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to “rescue our nation and preserve our hard-earned democracy.”
Mark, who served as Senate President from 2007 to 2015, was appointed interim National Chairman of the ADC on July 2, 2025, signaling a major shift in Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections. The resignation follows a high-level meeting on July 1 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, where Mark, alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other PDP stalwarts, endorsed the coalition to unseat the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP’s internal strife, marked by 300 defections since February 2024 and disputes over the national secretary position, has weakened its 20 million-member base. Mark’s exit, after mentoring 60% of Benue’s political leadership, aims to galvanize 10 million opposition voters, with the ADC’s formal unveiling on July 2 projecting a 15% vote share increase by 2027.