NIGERIA: David Mark Becomes Opposition Coalition Interim Chairman, Resigns From PDP Ahead Of 2027

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

Former Senate President David Mark has officially resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ending decades-long loyalty to the party, as he moves to join forces with a new opposition coalition where a source revealed he serves as interim chairman.

In a letter dated June 27 and addressed to the PDP Chairman in his Otukpo Ward, Benue State, Mark described the PDP as a “shadow of its former self,” citing persistent internal divisions, leadership crises, and irreconcilable differences as reasons for his departure.

The letter, seen by African Culture TV titled “Notice of Resignation from the PDP,” read in part:

“I bring warm greetings to you and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otukpo Ward 1, and by extension, to the entire Benue State and Nigeria. I write to formally inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the party with immediate effect.”

Mark, who served as Senate President between 2007 and 2015, recalled his unwavering commitment to the PDP even after its loss in the 2015 presidential election, noting he remained one of the last senior members to hold the party together.

“Even when nearly all stakeholders departed the party… I pledged to remain the last man standing. My efforts to rebuild, reconcile, and reposition the party helped restore it to national relevance,” he wrote.

However, he admitted that recent events had diminished the PDP’s integrity and public image, forcing him to take a bold political step.

“Recent events marked by deepening divisions, persistent leadership crisis, and irreconcilable differences have reduced the party to a shadow of its former self, subjecting it to public ridicule,” he added.

Mark revealed that after wide consultations with family, political allies, and supporters, he resolved to join the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria, a platform being floated to challenge the current political establishment and “preserve Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy.”

Sources within the new political alignment confirmed that Mark has been appointed the Interim National Chairman of the yet-to-be-launched coalition party, while former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, will serve as Interim National Secretary.

The coalition, which is expected to transform into a full-fledged political party under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) structure, is positioning itself as a broad-based alternative to both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the crisis-ridden PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Mark’s defection marks one of the most significant political realignments ahead of the next electoral cycle and signals growing discontent among political veterans with Nigeria’s two dominant parties.