2027: David Mark leads ADC to remove Tinubu from seat

Former Senate President, Senator David Mark, is set to be named the Pro tem National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), party sources confirmed on Saturday. The development comes as part of ongoing efforts to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 general elections and strengthen its national structure.

The move, confirmed by top sources within the party, marks a significant shift for the former Senate President, who has long been a key figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His emergence as a stabilizing force within the ADC is widely seen as an attempt to give the party a national outlook and credible leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Senator Mark, a retired army general and two-term Senate President, is expected to bring decades of political experience, national influence, and strategic capacity to a party that has long struggled to gain traction as a viable third force. His acceptance of the role, insiders say, is part of a broader agenda to realign Nigeria’s fragmented opposition forces and give disenchanted politicians across party lines a fresh platform.

In a complementary development, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, former Minister of Interior and immediate past Governor of the State of Osun, has been named the stopgap National Secretary of the ADC. Aregbesola, a prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been relatively quiet in national politics in recent months, fueling speculation of a potential political realignment.

Party sources confirmed that the national structure will remain intact for now, with all ward, local government, state, and zonal executives directed to maintain the status quo until further notice. This directive, according to insiders, is intended to ensure stability and avoid friction as the party prepares for a formal national convention.

The proposed new leadership is already generating quiet excitement across some quarters in Nigeria’s political space, especially among politicians and observers who have grown disillusioned with the binary choice of APC and PDP. The ADC, founded in 2005, has often positioned itself as a party of ideas, but has lacked the kind of national figures needed to give it sustained relevance.

Senator Mark’s expected appointment is seen by analysts as both symbolic and strategic. As the first Idoma man to reach the highest legislative office in Nigeria, his leadership could boost minority representation at the highest levels of party administration and reawaken political consciousness in the North Central region, particularly in Benue State.

While formal announcements are expected in the coming days, the quiet negotiations and emerging coalitions suggest that Nigeria’s 2027 political roadmap may be defined by more than just APC versus PDP. As one political observer put it bluntly: “Won fe da nkan wo!” — “Something is about to be shaken.”