David Mark Dumps PDP After 25 Years, Emerges Leader of New Opposition Bloc

Former Senate President, Senator David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark, has formally resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ending over 25 year association with the party under which he served as senator from 1999 to 2019.

In a letter dated June 27 and addressed to the PDP Chairman of Ward 1 in Otukpo, Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, Mark conveyed his immediate resignation from the party, citing persistent internal crises and irreconcilable differences.

“You may recall that over the years, I have remained firm and deeply committed to the ideals of the PDP,” he wrote. “However, 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.”

Mark noted that his decision followed consultations with family, friends, and political associates. He confirmed his alignment with the newly formed National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria, which aims to unite opposition voices ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The former Senate President, who led the upper chamber for eight consecutive years, is regarded as one of the party’s most loyal figures, having remained through major setbacks including the 2015 general election loss, which triggered mass defections from the PDP. His departure signals deepening fractures within the party.

In the wake of his resignation, PDP leaders convened in Abuja, where the party acknowledged growing defections. During a closed-door meeting at the Transcorp Hilton, they attributed the trend to “threats, blackmail and patronage” allegedly employed by the ruling APC, a context in which Mark’s exit was seen as part of a broader pattern

Meanwhile, the emerging coalition confirmed that David Mark will serve as its protem National Chairman, with former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola appointed as protem National Secretary. Their appointments follow an agreement by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to provide the platform for the coalition’s activities, pending registration under a unified structure.

Ralph Nwosu, ADC’s National Chairman, affirmed the arrangement and expressed willingness to step down in support of the coalition’s new leadership framework.

Mark’s decision to quit the PDP and assume a leadership role in the opposition coalition highlights a shift in Nigeria’s political terrain, one that could significantly alter alliances as the 2027 elections approach.

With founding figures like David Mark exiting, can the PDP withstand its own internal contradictions, or will the Nation witness the end of an era? Share your thoughts.