In a move that underscores deepening fractures within Nigeria’s political landscape, former Senate President Senator David Mark has formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing unresolved internal divisions and a persistent leadership crisis.
In a letter dated June 27, 2025, addressed to the PDP Chairman of his Otukpo Ward 1 in Benue State, Mark declared his immediate departure from the party, lamenting what he described as the PDP’s descent into dysfunction and public embarrassment.
“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,” the letter read.
Mark, who served as Senate President from 2007 to 2015, was one of the PDP’s most loyal and senior figures. He remained in the party even after its loss in the 2015 presidential election — a time when many top members defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Even when nearly all stakeholders departed the party following our loss in the 2015 presidential election, I pledged to remain the last man standing,” he wrote. “But after wide consultations with my family, friends, and political associates, I have resolved to join the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement.”
The National Coalition, which is being positioned as a broad-based political alternative, is reportedly in its final phase of transformation into a formal political party, with a focus on unifying opposition voices across the country.
In a significant development confirming the seriousness of the new coalition, Senator David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola have been named as Interim National Chairman and Interim National Secretary, respectively, of the soon-to-be-launched platform under the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition umbrella.
The emerging platform is expected to draw members from across party lines, particularly disenchanted figures from both the PDP and APC, and aims to present a united opposition front ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Analysts see Mark’s defection as a symbolic blow to the PDP, especially as it continues to battle internal factionalism and legal tussles over national leadership. His alignment with a new coalition suggests mounting pressure for a political realignment and the formation of a viable third force to challenge the country’s dominant parties.
More announcements and structural updates on the coalition are expected ahead of its formal launch later this year.
