ADC Crisis: David Mark, PRP Leaders Hold Closed-Door Talks as Opposition Alignments Deepen

The embattled National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Chief David Mark, held a high-level closed-door meeting with leaders of the Peoples Redemption Party on Friday, in what political observers are interpreting as a significant development in the ADC’s ongoing leadership crisis and its deepening confrontation with the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The meeting, deliberately kept away from public scrutiny, brought together key figures from both opposition parties in what appears to be a coordinated move to rally support around the ADC amid mounting institutional pressure. Those present included the newly installed PRP National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed; ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi; his PRP counterpart, Muhammed Ishaq; and former All Progressives Congress National Vice Chairman (North), Salihu Lukman, among other stakeholders.

Baba-Ahmed’s presence lent considerable political weight to the gathering. The influential northern intellectual and policy voice had resigned his position as Special Adviser on Political Matters to Vice President Kashim Shettima in April 2025 a move widely read at the time as a calculated return to active partisan opposition politics. His recent ascension to the PRP chairmanship has since made him one of the more prominent figures in Nigeria’s opposition landscape.

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Neither party issued an official communiqué following the meeting. However, a top party chieftain with direct knowledge of the discussions told journalists that the PRP used the occasion to make its position on the ADC crisis unambiguously clear.

“The PRP expressed strong solidarity with the ADC regarding its ongoing dispute with the Independent National Electoral Commission and other government institutions. The party unequivocally condemned the assaults and anti-democratic actions being directed at the ADC by certain forces, emphasising that such conduct undermines our democracy and jeopardises the nation’s stability,” the source said.

The ADC has been embroiled in a protracted leadership tussle that has drawn in INEC, the courts, and various political actors. The commission’s actions towards the party including the suspension of its recognition have been fiercely contested by the Mark-led faction, which has accused regulatory authorities of selectively targeting the party in a manner inconsistent with democratic norms.

Friday’s meeting signals that the ADC’s battle is no longer an isolated internal affair. With the PRP and other opposition voices now openly aligning behind the party’s position, the crisis is evolving into a broader opposition statement against what some actors describe as government-backed interference in party politics a narrative that is likely to gain traction as Nigeria’s highly charged 2027 election season accelerates.

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