Former Senate President David Mark has officially severed ties with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), marking the end of a 25-year affiliation in a pointed resignation letter that underscores the party’s “deepening divisions” and “public ridicule.”
The seasoned politician from Benue, who led the 6th and 7th Senates, announced his immediate departure in a formal notice directed to PDP leaders in Otukpo Ward 1, Benue State.
On Tuesday evening, Mark was appointed interim National Chairman of the ADC, following negotiations among opposition leaders under the new coalition spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“I have remained steadfastly committed to the ideals of the PDP,” Mark expressed. “Even when most stakeholders left after our loss in the 2015 presidential election, I vowed to be the last man standing.”
The two-term Senate President took pride in his role in rejuvenating the party post-2015 defeat, stating, “I have diligently worked to rebuild, reconcile, and reposition the party… efforts that have reinstated the PDP’s national significance.”
However, he lamented that “recent events characterised by ongoing leadership crises and irreconcilable differences have diminished the party to a mere shadow of its former self.”
Mark, aged 75, disclosed his intention to join the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement, framing this move as “part of a collective effort to rescue our nation and safeguard our hard-earned democracy.”
His resignation letter concluded with a succinct “Thank you, and may God bless you,” signalling a definitive end to his long-standing affiliation with the PDP.
PDP officials have yet to release a statement regarding this development.