The interim national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, has said the new opposition coalition platform is on a rescue mission to rebuild the country and return power to the people.
Mark, who admitted that the journey to rescue Nigeria would be long, complex, and tedious, said it was one the coalition leaders were prepared to undertake collectively.
The former Senate president stated this in Abuja on Wednesday during the formal adoption of ADC by the national opposition coalition.
The immediate past national chairman of the party, Okey Ralph Nwosu, formally handed over to Mark, while former interior minister Rauf Aregbesola was announced as national secretary.
The occasion was attended by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi; former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi; former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai; former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam; former APC national chairman, John Oyegun; former PDP chairman, Uche Secondus; and former deputy speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, among others.
ADC’s unveiling as the opposition coalition platform came barely 24 hours after some prominent leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formally joined the coalition movement seeking to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The leaders, comprising the party’s founding fathers and other former top political office holders, came to this resolution after a three-hour closed-door meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
Shortly after, Mark resigned from the PDP. Similarly, former Transportation Minister Chibuike Amaechi resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Drama ensued over the venue for the party’s unveiling, as an Abuja hotel booked for the event cancelled at the last minute.
Following the hotel management’s cancellation of the fully paid reservation, the coalition leaders resorted to using the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre.
We Are on a Rescue Mission – Mark
David Mark assured Nigerians that the coalition’s vision was beyond gaining political power, describing it as a concerted effort to rebuild the crumbling pillars of Nigeria’s democracy.
The former Senate president said the coalition, under the banner of the ADC, was set up to prevent the country’s descent into a one-party state orchestrated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Today marks the beginning of what we believe will be a long, tedious, and challenging journey. However, it is a journey that we are prepared to undertake, united in our collective belief that no price or sacrifice is too high in the service of our fatherland. It is on record that within two years of the current administration coming to power, it has hijacked all democratic institutions and sent our country on a creeping descent into total civilian dictatorship.
The blatant destabilisation and infiltration of all significant opposition political parties is aimed at achieving only one objective: to enhance total state capture and leave Nigerians with no alternatives or options in 2027. This coalition is to prevent our country’s descent into a one-party state.”
He added:“We have never seen a government so much at home with corruption, which disdains accountability in all ramifications; a government more concerned with the next election than with ordinary Nigerians’ survival; a government so totally consumed with politicking that governance is abandoned while the majority of our people wallow in hunger and poverty.”
Mark further decried the level of insecurity across the country:
“Bandits and kidnappers kill Nigerians at will and daily. Yet, this ongoing tragedy has not moved the government to take action that would stop these mindless killings and stem the tide of needless bloodshed. Indeed, the Nigerian people deserve a government that protects them and makes them feel safe in their homes.”
He also expressed concern over what he described as the total emasculation of the legislative institution:
“Never in our history have we witnessed a National Assembly where legislators—the trustees of the very bastion of our democracy, saddled with the sacred duty to protect Nigerians from misuse of executive power—are reduced to cheerleaders and praise singers of the President.
Without doubt, transforming Nigeria’s National Assembly into a mere appendage of presidential authority is a dangerous conspiracy against the Nigerian people. It is the reason why the government can get away with various whimsical, unconstitutional policies and actions—or inactions—that have reduced more Nigerians to abject poverty and widened the boundaries of insecurity and fear.”
Mark said the coalition is for all Nigerians who share the patriotic duty to save the country:
“To all those citizens who believe that Nigeria’s democracy is worth fighting for, this coalition is for you.
To all youths who face an uncertain future and have questioned the value of their education and certificates, this coalition is for you.
To all our brothers and sisters in Benue, Niger, Plateau, Zamfara, Sokoto, Borno, Katsina, Kaduna, Edo, parts of the South East, South West, and South-South who live under constant fear of violence and terror—who have lost a father, mother, child, husband, or wife—this coalition is for you.
To all our citizens who believe that they deserve better, who have been promised much and given so little, for whom renewed hope has turned to renewed hopelessness—this is your coalition, and we welcome you all to join us and be a part of this historic rescue mission.”
Mark emphasised that the coalition is determined to offer Nigerians a path to security, prosperity, peace, and progress.
He said the choice of ADC followed extensive deliberations and discussions, spanning months with deserving platforms.
18 Months of Discussions
In his handover speech, Nwosu said the decision followed 18 months of consultations and the desire to rescue Nigeria from the acute situation it finds itself in under the APC-led government.
“This journey started about 18 months ago, and we’ve had over 12 National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings. When we were consulted, we said we had also been consulting because we are a party that believes in coalition.
A day like this shows we are ready to sacrifice anything for Nigeria. We don’t have any doubt in the man (David Mark). We have all decided to resign.
This is beyond politics and power. We must commit to moving Nigeria from the ICU to global reckoning.
It’s not about seeking power. We have the capacity.”
He dismissed social media reports raising concerns about the handover:
“Anybody who writes or says anything about what we are doing today is not a member of the ADC. We are not apologetic about it because more of these stones will come our way.”
We’ll test our might in 2027, APC tells ADC
The APC director of publicity, Yusuf Bala Ibrahim, said the party is not worried about the coalition’s adoption of ADC, adding that Nigeria is not held hostage by the ruling party.
“Well, we are not worried about whatever they may say. So, if they say they are coming to rescue Nigeria, they have to show Nigerians who are holding Nigeria hostage.
“The APC is busy delivering to the people a dividend of democracy. If they brand that as holding the country hostage, I think they need to go and check with Nigerians.
“Whatever they say, most Nigerians do not see the situation that way. And we look forward to 2027 when everyone will test their strength. And we believe with what the party is doing, Nigerians will overwhelmingly vote for the APC,” he stated.
Amaechi Resigns from APC
Former Rivers State governor and Transportation Minister Chibuike Amaechi disclosed that he resigned from the APC on Tuesday night, expressing surprise that the party didn’t expel him despite his rejection of meeting invitations.
He also accused the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding to hijack future elections.
In an interview after the unveiling of the interim ADC executive, he said:
“Nigeria is destroyed” because of the hardships facing the country.
Reacting to a question on Tinubu’s government, Amaechi said:
“People are asking for Buhari because things were better during Buhari’s administration. The dollar was, I think, N460 or N500 and something. Now a dollar is N1,580. That is more than 100 per cent increase.”
El-Rufai: Power Transition Has Started, Banditry Will Be Extinguished
Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai said ADC’s adoption signals the start of the power transition.
Posting on his verified Facebook page, El-Rufai wrote:
“Sen. David Mark takes over as Interim National Chairman of the ADC. The coalition transition has started. Congratulations, Nigeria! … Urban and rural banditry will be extinguished, by God’s grace, in 2027.”
Nigerians Are Tired of Coalition Leaders – Kachikwu
Not all ADC members are pleased with the takeover.
The party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, criticised the coalition leaders, saying Nigerians are tired of their generation.
He described them as “mostly geriatrics” who are “shopping around for a party to prosecute their chopping-must-continue ambition.”
He questioned the credibility of leaders who “presided over the affairs of this nation for the past four decades”:
“We are a nation lacking in the basics, and the majority are poor. But here we are, watching those who set our country on fire saying they are the fire brigade.
No, you are not. You are a bunch of greedy and selfish old men who believe that political power is your birthright. Nigerians are tired of your generation and reject everything you have to offer—which is nothing.”
ADC Members Resist Aregbesola as Secretary
Some ADC members have rejected Aregbesola’s appointment as national secretary.
Dr. Musa Isa Matara, who identified himself as the party’s national publicity secretary, said the appointment lacked due process, transparency, and democratic legitimacy.
In a statement, he said: “The claim that the ADC has become the platform of the National Opposition Coalition Group has been met with skepticism, as members have not been adequately informed or consulted about this alleged coalition.
The ongoing legal crises facing the party since the 2023 elections have also raised concerns about the stability and legitimacy of any new political alliances.”
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