Former Senate President David Mark has formally submitted his resignation letter to the Peoples Democratic Party, resigning from the party to join the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria.

In a letter addressed to the party’s Ward 1, Otukpo, Otukpo LGA, dated June 27, 2025, Mr Mark stated that he had decided, after conducting extensive consultations, to rescue and preserve Nigeria’s democracy.

“I write to formally inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the party with immediate effect.

“After wide consultations with my family, friends and political associates, I have resolved to join the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria, as part of the collective effort to rescue our nation and preserve our hard-earned democracy,” said Mr Mark.

Recalling his past commitment to the PDP and his pledge to be the last man standing, despite mass defection by stakeholders after the party’s 2015 presidential election loss, Mr Mark said he had worked to rebuild, reconcile, reposition, and restore it once again as a party of choice for Nigerians. 

He, however, blamed “deepening divisions, persistent leadership crisis, and irreconcilable differences”, which have reduced the PDP to a shadow of its former self, subjecting it to public ridicule, for his decision to resign from the party.

The coalition, which chose to run the 2027 elections under the platform of the African Democratic Congress, after failing to secure registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission, picked Mr Mark on Tuesday as the interim national chairman, as the journey to wrest power from President Bola Tinubu hots up.