ADC has no preferred presidential candidate for 2027 – David Mark

David Mark, the interim national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says the party has no preferred presidential aspirant ahead of the 2027 general election. The former Senate President spoke in Abuja on Tuesday during a meeting with ADC’s stakeholders from Kogi state.

Mark, who previously served as Senate President for eight years, assured Nigerians of the party’s commitment to transparency under his leadership. He emphasised that the ADC wants to create an inclusive platform rather than backing any particular candidate at this early stage.

“The ADC has no preferred or favourite presidential aspirant but is focused on establishing a platform that appeals to the majority of Nigerians,” Mark said.

The veteran politician expressed concerns about Nigeria’s current challenges and positioned the ADC as a solution to the country’s problems. “We are doing this because we do not want this great ship called Nigeria to sink. If we do not rise now, and it sinks, all of us will be affected.”

Mark emphasised that the ADC operates on principles of equality amongst its members, distancing himself from any notion of personal ownership of the party. Mark said all party members are equal stakeholders and owners and urged them to show Nigerians that ADC is ready to run democracy properly.

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“I don’t own this party more than any of our members. I urge all members to show Nigerians that ADC is a different party—one ready to properly run democracy in our country. All Nigerians must come together and take ownership of the ADC,” he added.

The former Senate President called for unity within the party ranks, arguing that collective effort should take priority over individual political ambitions. He called on members to set aside differences and work as a team, stressing that building the party must come before personal ambitions.

Mark also outlined the party’s policy priorities, highlighting security challenges as a key area the ADC would address if given the opportunity to govern. He urged politicians to focus on addressing national challenges such as insecurity, which, according to him, the ADC intends to tackle if given the opportunity to govern.

“Let us continue to work to rebuild our nation and bring out her best in the overall interest of future generations,” Mark added.

Meanwhile, the ADC appears to be dealing with legal challenges to its leadership. Mohammed Sheriff, leader of the national legal support group for ADC, alleged that names of non-members were being used to file a lawsuit against the party and its interim leadership.

Sheriff claimed that those filing cases against the party are not registered members in Kogi and Nasarawa states. This suggests that some of the legal challenges against the party may not be coming from legitimate party members, though the specific details of these lawsuits were not provided.

However, the party appears confident in its legal position. He said the group is prepared to represent the ADC in court, noting that at least 97 lawyers have volunteered to defend the party.