2027: It’s APC Vs Nigerians,David Mark Says

The national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, on Saturday declared that the 2027 general elections would not be a conventional political contest but a direct battle “between the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Nigerian people.”

Senator Mark made the declaration while delivering a keynote address at the National Summit of Opposition Party Leaders held at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The summit, themed: “That We May Work Together for a United Opposition to Sustain Our Democracy,” drew national chairmen of opposition parties, former governors, and key political stakeholders from across the country.

Addressing the gathering, the former Senate President said Nigerians had “been through the smokescreen and the lies” and now fully recognized what he described as a government that had failed to meet their expectations.

“As we have repeatedly maintained, this is no longer a conventional political contest. This contest is between the ruling party, APC, and the Nigerian people,” Mark asserted.

The ADC national chairman stated that the APC was “contesting against the mother who has just buried her child, against the father who works endlessly, yet cannot feed his family, and against young graduates who see no future, and against the pensioner who has been abandoned after decades of service to the nation.”

Senator Mark described recent changes in the federal government’s economic management team as a “tacit admission of failure,” insisting that “if a system is functioning effectively, you do not replace leadership.”

He argued that “rejigging the cabinet at this late hour cannot save them from the verdict of the people.”

On the state of Nigeria’s electoral process, the former senate president expressed grave concern over the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The fate of our democracy rests with the neutrality and integrity of our electoral institutions. When the referee clearly and proudly wears the jersey of the other team in a match he should be officiating, then the legitimacy of the outcome is lost,” he warned.

He noted that Nigerians had “lost confidence in the electoral body called INEC,” adding that “INEC is no longer an impartial umpire.”

He cautioned that if nothing changed, “Professor Ojo Amupitan is about to preside over the most distrusted election in Nigerian history,” stating that “the consequences are better left to imagination.”

Calling for unity among opposition parties, Senator Mark urged leaders not to let personal ambition derail the collective resolve to rescue the country.

“At a defining moment in our history, when Nigeria stood at the edge of uncertainty, we did not falter. We did not allow personal ambition to override the desire of Nigerians. We did not succumb to the temptation of petty partisanship and self-defining ambitions,” he said.

“Instead, we chose unity over division. We chose sacrifice over self. And we chose the country above all.”

He urged that the Ibadan summit should “go down in history as the moment when everything changed,” describing it as “the beginning of a decisive movement, a movement that will restore the dignity of our democracy, secure the lives of our people, and rebuild the foundations of our nation.”

He expressed confidence that with “conviction, discipline, and sincerity,” no force would be strong enough to stop the will of the Nigerian people.

“May history remember us for our courage. May history remember us for our sacrifice. And may history remember us for our resolve to save our democracy and our country.

“May it be recorded that when Nigeria called, we answered with unwavering commitment. And when our people needed us, we did not falter, and we did not fail them,” he said.

The summit, hosted in Ibadan, was part of ongoing consultations by opposition leaders to forge a united front ahead of the 2027 general elections