Former Senate President David Mark and ex-Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola have been named interim National Chairman and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), signaling a major shift in Nigeria’s political opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
The appointments were sealed at a strategic meeting of opposition leaders in Abuja on Tuesday night. The ADC, now backed by a coalition of political heavyweights including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi, is emerging as the central vehicle for a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Aregbesola, while accepting his role, stressed the need for a values-driven political party. “A political party must not be a platform for opportunism or personal ambition,” he said, describing his new task as one of rebuilding a structure “grounded in ideology, principle, and people-centred struggle.”
He criticized the current political landscape, lamenting that many parties had become “empty shells” formed and dissolved around personalities and power, with little focus on citizens or national interest.
As secretary, he pledged to strengthen internal democracy, promote transparency, and ensure the voices of youths, women, workers, farmers, and people with disabilities are well represented within the party.
Referencing South Africa’s ANC as a model, he said the ADC would adopt international best practices in party organisation, citing examples from South Africa, Chile, Sweden, and Kenya. “Discipline, order, clarity of purpose, and service to the people must define us,” he added.
Meanwhile, David Mark formally exited the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing internal strife and irreconcilable differences. In a letter dated June 27, he described the party as “a shadow of its former self,” noting that its prolonged leadership crisis had exposed it to public ridicule.
He recalled staying committed to the PDP even when others left after the party lost the presidency in 2015, but said he could no longer ignore its deepening divisions. “I have resolved to join the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria,” he wrote, expressing hope that the coalition could help “rescue our nation and preserve our hard-earned democracy.”
With Mark and Aregbesola now leading the ADC, the party is positioning itself as the face of a reenergized opposition. Talks are ongoing among stakeholders to decide whether the coalition will fully consolidate under the ADC or adopt a different name ahead of the 2027 polls.
